Speech Central always sets the higher quality standard and part of that is preparing, testing, and developing for the next version of operating system.
iOS 18 is expected to launch in September 2024 and macOS Sequoia is expected to launch in October 2024. However, beta testing versions of those operating systems are already available, and I will share my first impressions, expectations, and experiences.
Generative AI and Text to Speech Expectations
As generative AI was expected to be a huge part of these updates, there were some expectations that iOS 18 and macOS 14 might bring more realistic text to speech voices and higher quality voice cloning. Unfortunately, that was not the case. These operating systems appear to be a very minor upgrade in this area, bringing even less novelty than iOS 17 and macOS 13, which introduced Personal Voice.
Current State of Text to Speech
We are still pretty much at the state that iOS 16 brought us with Premium voices. Apple announced that iOS 18 may bring some new voices, but even that appears to be scarce. Thus far, I have noted only the new Zoe Premium voice, which isn’t completely new as it was already available on macOS last year.
Speech Central’s Compatibility and Improvements
The good news is that thus far it seems that the current version of Speech Central appears to be working flawlessly on the iOS 18 beta. As such, the development process is expected to be smooth. One notable thing that will come with a new version is full support for the new dark mode and tinted icons, ensuring they look excellent when those modes are activated.
Further, some new technologies will allow for several interactions to be improved, and this is expected to be supported as soon as iOS 18 launches.
Future Prospects and Alternatives
While Apple’s lack of improvements in the quality of text-to-speech may disappoint, Speech Central will continue to offer higher quality streaming alternatives like Microsoft Azure AI voices or OpenAI voices. Additionally, there will be an emphasis on supporting at least one more service in the future to provide users with the best possible experience.
Stay tuned for more updates as we get closer to the official release dates of iOS 18 and macOS Sequoia. You can get Speech Central on the App Storeand Mac App Store