Apple’s next iPhone will feature 1GB of RAM, as well as a Siri-powered Assistant feature that will be exclusive to the device, according to a new report. Citing a source familiar with the iPhone’s microprocessor manufacturing, 9to5Mac reports that these features will arrive alongside previously-rumored upgrades like an eight-megapixel camera, a dual-core A5 processor, and a Qualcomm Gobi baseband chip that will allow a single model to operate on both GSM and CDMA networks.
The report goes on to claim that the new Assistant feature is dependent on the phone’s A5 processor and extra RAM, and will therefore be unavailable to users of previous iPhones.
Powered by Nuance speech recognition technology, the Assistant feature is said to be a huge step up from iOS’ current Voice Control feature, allowing users to perform tasks such as setting calendar events and reminders, getting directions, and sending text or email messages using nothing but their voice.
In addition, the report claims that the feature will be able to communicate with the user in a conversation-like fashion, audibly asking for extra information such as which email address to use when contacting someone. The report goes on to claim that the feature also integrates into a new Find My Friends contact-locating feature, as well as Wolfram Alpha.