"What can I help you with?" the gentle, feminine voice of Siri says. "Can you tell me who is the original voice of Siri's Apple voice-activated virtual 'assistant' in the United States?"

While it's not confirmed by Apple, CNN reports that the original voice of Siri is Susan Bennett and she lives in Atlanta, Ga.

Virtual mystery solved? Maybe.

Considered a virtual life-saver for some, Bennett was born with a marketable set of pipes and has had an interesting career because of it. As a voiceover actor, she's starred alongside actors Samuel L. Jackson and Zooey Deschanel, provided weather forecasts, restaurant tips, GPS directions and addresses travelers in Delta airport terminals, CNN adds.

The public was introduced to Siri, Apple's voice-activated virtual "assistant" on the iPhone 4S on October 4, 2011.

"Apple won't confirm it. But Bennett says she is Siri. Professionals who know her voice, have worked with her and represent her legally say she is Siri," CNN reports. "And an audio-forensics expert with 30 years of experience has studied both voices and says he is "100%" certain the two are the same."

What sparked the controversy?

The release of the new Apple mobile operating system, iOS 7 raised questions about the identity of the person behind the voice of Siri. Tech-news site The Verge posted a video last month, "How Siri found its voice," that led some viewers to believe that Allison Dufty, the featured voiceover talent, was Siri.

But a "horrified" Dufty set the record straight on her website and said: "absolutely, positively NOT the voice of Siri."

"I really had to weigh the importance of it for me personally. I wasn't sure that I wanted that notoriety, and I also wasn't sure where I stood legally. And so, consequently, I was very conservative about it for a long time," Bennett told CNN. "And then this Verge video came out ... And it seemed like everyone was clamoring to find out who the real voice behind Siri is, and so I thought, well, you know, what the heck? This is the time."

With the new iOS 7 underway, Siri has undergone another identity change -- you can now decide if you want a female or male voice, according to CNET, who adds that changing the gender of Siri's voice only takes a few seconds and is easy to do.

Will it be time for other Siri voiceovers to reveal their identities across the globe? Only time will tell, but in the meantime, how is Siri's language capability?

The language compatibility was tricky at first.

"With the iPhone 4S launch nearly two years ago, Apple introduced the Siri voice control system to its customers. At launch, Siri was a gimmicky feature at best, being released with bugs, a highly-computerized voice, sluggish content loading, and unreliable servers. In addition, Siri of 2011 was short on user compatibility, only launching with knowledge of English, French, and German. Apple certainly did not deny the early issues with Siri: the company launched the product in "beta," a tag that has remained on the software ever since," according to 9to5Mac.

Since 2011, Apple has been slowly improving the service. In early 2012, Siri gained support for Japanese, and with iOS 6 in late 2012, the service added support for several new languages and capabilities. With iOS 7, Siri has been given a redesigned user-interface, new functionality, and all-new voices. Many of the server errors and lengthy processing time issues that riddled the product in its early days have now disappeared; and it seems that Apple agrees. With the upcoming launch of iOS 7, it appears that Apple will finally be taking Siri out of "beta."

What languages can Siri understand and speak?

United States (English, Spanish)
United Kingdom (English)
Australia (English)
France (French)
Germany (German)
Japan (Japanese)
Canada (Canadian French, English)
China (Mandarin)
Hong Kong (Cantonese)
Italy (Italian)
Korea (Korean)
Mexico (Spanish)
Spain (Spanish)
Switzerland (French, German, Italian)
Taiwan (Mandarin)

Can I use Siri in any of these languages in other countries?

"Yes. You can enable Siri in any country, and you can choose to speak to it in any of the languages that Siri supports. However, Siri is designed to recognize the specific accents and dialects of the supported countries listed above. Since every language has its own accents and dialects, the accuracy rate will be higher for native speakers. Find more information regarding which Siri features are supported around the world," according to Apple's official support website. It adds, "Siri requires Internet access. Siri may not be available in all languages or in all areas, and features may vary by area. Cellular data charges may apply. Phone calls are available only on iPhone."