iPhone 4S’s Siri Is The Stuff That The Future Is Made Of

Posted by Michael Nace on Wednesday Oct 12, 2011 Under iPhone 4, iPhone 4S News, iPhone 4S Opinion

Because so many iPhone users were expecting a redesigned iPhone, the disappointment of the iPhone 4S’s form factor — a reappropriation of the iPhone 4 — and the lack of the larger screen has disillusioned and diminished the excitement for the new iPhone in some circles. But Steve Jobs famously said this about design: “Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works.”

That’s an important quote to consider while contemplating the coolness of the iPhone 4S — particularly when it comes to Siri.

Now, the early criticism of Siri is that it is little more than a catch-up to what Android has already featured with its voice recognition technology. But it’s important to note that, while Android’s ability to accurately recognize and display the words you speak — for instance, if you are composing a hands-free text message — is quite good, the ability to control an Android smartphone with voice command doesn’t even come close to the early glimpses of Siri.

I would argue that, from what I am seeing, Siri is the stuff that the future is made of.

It was not too many years ago that gesture control was a groundbreaking idea, and Jobs’ commitment to using our digits in stead of a stylus seemed like the wave of the future, when he proclaimed, “We’re going to use the best pointing device in the world. We’re going to use a pointing device that we’re all born with – born with ten of them. We’re going to use our fingers. We’re going to touch this with our fingers.” At that time, our fingers were the best pointing options. Who would have thought that, in 2011, we’d be pointing our iPhones in the right direction with our voice. This is a truly “futuristic” mobile technology.

And unlike Android’s voice command, Siri seems to have a similarly intuitive, artificial intelligence to Google’s own search algorithm, where it can discern your meaning — “catch your drift,” if you will. Google’s technology, known as Latent Semantic Indexing, or LSI, is able to crawl and index web pages so that it understands the meaning and crux of the page’s content. Siri operates in the same manner with what you say: you don’t have to make a perfect match of keyword phrases in order to successfully operate it.

This recent video illustrates what iPhone 4S users can expect from Siri:


And this is just the tip of the iceberg. It remains to be seen how app developers may be able to leverage Siri, and how this technology will continue to grow over time.

That being said, there are some potential caveats to Siri that will not be decided on until the masses get a chance to peruse the iPhone 4S themselves. One consideration is that Siri is still a “beta” technology (as is Android’s voice recognition). Apple recently switched the “New!” tag on their Siri page to “Beta!” (OK — I added the exclamation point), and stipulates that “Siri is available in Beta only on iPhone 4S and requires Internet access.” It is also is only available in a few languages.

Another concern is how well Siri will perform in 3G versus WiFi. Apple’s own promo video shows users using it in 3G environments — such as the jogger rescheduling his meetings — but the video above appears to be running on WiFi. Will the 3G Siri experience be as fluid? Granted, the Android voice recognition works quite well over 3G, but Siri is more high-performance than Android.

Regardless of some bugs that early Siri adopters will have to deal with, there s no doubt that the iPhone 4S ushers in a groundbreaking new technology that offers us a new “design” in the way that Steve Jobs imagines design to be.

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19 Responses to “iPhone 4S’s Siri Is The Stuff That The Future Is Made Of”

  1. Core2 Says:
    October 12th, 2011 at 11:01 am

    The amazing thing about this, is it’s only Beta software. It will eventually flow threw 3rd party applications one day.

    I am waiting for the Siri App game ‘Hitchhikers guide to the galaxy’ one day, for those remember that from the late 80′s.

    Also Apple’s own Remote App. Imaging talking to your iPhone to control your Apple TV to search for something on Netflix…

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 3 Thumb down 0


  2. Aimée Says:
    October 12th, 2011 at 11:27 am

    It is truly amazing and the possibilities are endless. I know that it will be extremely helpful for me. I am a slow texter and have very bad aim. This is going to be so helpful to people who have vision problems or problems with their hands.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 0


  3. Gannon Says:
    October 12th, 2011 at 11:54 am

    I didnt see myself caring about some voice recognition thing at all. But now, the more i see of it the more i see it being an amazing thing. It works so smoothly. Im excited for the non beta version. Is that most likely gonna be just an update? Or do we think itll just appear on the iphone 5?

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0


  4. John Berggren Says:
    October 12th, 2011 at 11:59 am

    Now I can text while I drive!
    :P

    I’m excited. I just hope I get my unit on Friday.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 0


  5. Scott K Says:
    October 12th, 2011 at 12:13 pm

    Michael, I agree that Siri could be revolutionary if it performs as advertised, and that is part of the reason I didn’t understand why people were so disappointed about the 4S. Anyone who expects Apple to “keep up” with competitors has not been paying attention to what Apple does. Apple has been leading by optimizing and innovating with the user experience, not by having the best tech specs. My Macbook Pro laptop can start up and have me happily browsing a heck of a lot faster than the new Dell desktop in the next room running Windows 7, even though the processor in my laptop is nowhere near as fast.

    Michael, I must point out that gesture control wasn’t exactly a “groundbreaking idea” when Apple came out with the iPhone– it existed about five years prior to that. I owned a Fingerworks Touchstream keyboard, which still seems to do more with multi-touch interfaces than anything that Apple is producing today. However, the Touchstream never reached beyond a niche appeal because it was a cool new thing, but people didn’t see a reason to adopt the new technology. Apple bought Fingerworks and eventually incorporated the technology into a product that made the touch interface a visceral part of the user interface, and provided tools for people to take advantage of it. The Touchstream, by contrast, was always a peripheral device. I suspect that Apple may be well on the way to doing the same with Siri and voice command in general.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 0


  6. Luz Says:
    October 12th, 2011 at 1:03 pm

    Does look interesting, but not enough to make me think I will chop in my Ip4 for it. I use my phone only socially, not for business, will siri also read web pages? So instead of googling a question on keywords you have said and just displaying a web page, will it read out the answer? I know that may require a lot more programming. For example, ask it current Footy score and it speaks back 2-1 to Everton, not just google a web page, or suppose this would need to be integrated via another app…

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 0


  7. Core2 Says:
    October 12th, 2011 at 1:06 pm

    I think (in my opinion) the current main use for Siri, is in the car while driving. Hopefully it will keep some users from txting while driving and causing accidents.

    Alot of the examples from the keynote are common tasks a typical user does in the car. Look up directions, try to find a restaurant, read a txt, and respond back to it, etc.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 3 Thumb down 0


  8. ShaneR926 Says:
    October 12th, 2011 at 1:44 pm

    Well, 2 more days till I (hopefully) get my iPhone. I plan to be lining up sometime around 6:30am, I sure hope that’s early enough.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 0


  9. Aimée Says:
    October 12th, 2011 at 1:56 pm

    Good luck, ShaneR926. Please let us know how you make out.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0


  10. JustinQ Says:
    October 12th, 2011 at 2:25 pm

    Hearing apple say the name 4S instead of iPhone 5 was a big let down. However this feature along with the better camera are enough to get me to get an iPhone 4S. The Siri makes the 4S look like the phone of the future and I can’t wait to see how apple will improve this feature in the iPhone 5.

    I guess the 4S will have to hold me over until the iPhone 5 comes out. It’s too bad At&t and Sprint don’t have a “buy back” program for people who want to update early.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 4 Thumb down 0


  11. mike Says:
    October 12th, 2011 at 2:29 pm

    Yes this is a little off of the subject…but…My Phone is sitting at a fedex location about 30 min away and this is the status… Estimated delivery Oct 14, 2011 by 7:00 PM
    …..Maybe I should drive over and pick it up hah…or maybe it will get here tomorrow?!?

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0


  12. kaptivator Says:
    October 12th, 2011 at 2:45 pm

    I’m kind of anxious to see what Siri is all about. I currently have a Droid device (waiting on my iPhone to be delivered on Friday) and the voice recognition is just “OK” if that. Actually, I’m just ready to get my iPhone…Like now!!!

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 0


  13. Aggi Says:
    October 12th, 2011 at 4:53 pm

    Hey guys, this video is a more in depth look at Siri, it’s pretty interesting and it definitely shows it’s still in beta… nevertheless it is pretty remarkable what it can do! Also @Core2, I think you’ll find a little surprise in the video (given that you are a Hitchhiker’s guide to the galaxy fan) :) Enjoy!

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0


  14. Aggi Says:
    October 12th, 2011 at 4:54 pm

    forgot to post the link haha sorry!! here it is:
    youtube.com/watch?v=5mNcnj2l6RE&feature=channel_video_title

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0


  15. Joe Says:
    October 12th, 2011 at 11:00 pm

    I absolutely love the technology! Siri is great and it’s tempting. It’s so hard to resist the 4S right now since I can’t get this feature on my iPhone 4 right now. But in the end, I think Siri will be a whole lot better (if that’s possible) next June if and when we see the iPhone 5. Just more stuff to look forward!

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0


  16. Aaron Toponce Says:
    October 13th, 2011 at 4:50 am

    Meh. I’ve seen the videos, read the reviews, and I’m walking away unimpressed. Seems to be nothing more than a fancy gimmick to sell more phones, while no one will really use it in real life. They should have spent more time getting NFC integrated into the 4S. There’s a feature I can actually use.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 1


  17. Darren Says:
    October 13th, 2011 at 5:26 am

    I’ve been saying for a long time that I’m holding out for the 2012 iPhone, however Siri is the one thing that is making me reconsider. Since finding out about it in the keynote presentation and seeing other demonstrations, there have been many occasions where having Siri right now would have made things so much easier. At the moment I think I’ll still hold on, but Siri is making it very hard to do so.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 0


  18. mrman Says:
    October 13th, 2011 at 7:45 am

    What is going to be exciting is how 3rd party apps will integrate Siri into new functionality. Navigation, web surfing, online shopping, bill paying all done with voice commands? Cool stuff.
    BTW, UPS delivery of my white 64GB is scheduled for 3PM tomorrow.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 0


  19. Lee Says:
    October 13th, 2011 at 9:59 pm

    Mrman, how did you find out exactly when it was scheduled? I have a sonogram with my wife at 330 and as excited as I am for that, I’m also nervous that we’ll miss our phones! They always seem to deliver later in the day…

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0


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