My buddies at The Unofficial Apple Weblog are all a buzz about rumors of text-to-speech iPod features brought to light in a recent Scotsman article. As rumors go this one is pretty practical. Apple has a pretty strong text-to-speech history, and have always been in to unconventional features, when they make sense. The idea is to generate text to speech using the host PC when synchronizing a playlist or otherwise administrating the iPod via USB. This idea would offload text-to-speech processing and allow for much more pleasant voice quality than could normally be generated by the relatively system resource starved iPod.
The rumor stems from a recently filed patent application, as is the customary birthplace of all good tech rumors. In all seriousness though, with safety an issue when using the iPod during an eyes-forward activity like driving or cycling, a clear and well-executed text-to-speech system could be just the ticket.
[The Scotsman via TUAW]
