Apple Inc. is expected to offer a Korean-language version of its Siri voice command feature starting in 2012, the U.S.-based technology giant said Saturday.
The company said on its website that it will begin offering Siri services in Korean, Japanese, Chinese, Italian and Spanish starting next year, after launching the feature in English, French and German.
Siri is a flagship feature of Apple’s latest iPhone 4S smartphone. It allows users to send messages, schedule meetings, place phone calls, set alarms and ask for weather updates via voice.
The system, acting as a mobile personnel assistant, enables users to conduct voice searches for queries such as the location of a restaurant.
Apple said that unlike existing voice command or activation systems common to smartphones on the market today, Siri can understand various dialects, which improves the accuracy of the iPhone’s response to a human voice.
The feature effectively allows the iPhone to become a “hands-free” device.
Meanwhile, Apple said that because the latest voice command feature requires more data-crunching power, it is only available on the iPhone 4S. (Yonhap News)