There will be 1.1 billion phones shipped in 2016 featuring the ability to command and control the phone through a voice user interface, according to analyst ARCchart.
ARCchart said that advances in mobile computing power and the imaginative usage of artificial intelligence are now making true voice control on handheld devices a reality. Apple’s Siri, currently the most successful Rich voice solution on the market, has woven an "attractive tapestry of search, intuitive answer and navigation functions", and ARCchart believes that this has ignited a voice command "arms race" in the smartphone market.
That arms race will drive sales of over a billion Rich Voice phones by 2016, the analyst said.
What is rich voice?
Basic voice control functions, which include simple voice tags, have now evolved into Rich voice, which leverages intuitive and artificial intelligence features. Intuitive assistance is a key aspect of Rich voice control and ARCchart sees the capability as the latest killer application in smartphones. It combines the power of artificial intelligence with voice search, allowing queries to be posed without adhering to a rigid syntax.
The strategic importance of voice recognition and control will lead to major internalisation of voice recognition platforms. Google, for example, develops its own voice recognition engine. Microsoft acquired TellMe in 2007 and based its voice command feature on this platform. ARCchart also concluded that there are strong indications that Apple will assert greater control over the speech recognition engine in future versions of Siri.