“The iPhone 4S’s virtual assistant, Siri — a feature that allows users to tap into many of the phone’s capabilities with their voice — is a sleeper hit with ‘revolutionary’ potential that will soon appear on Macs, TVs, and iPads and ‘stymie’ rivals Google and Microsoft, analyst Shannon Cross wrote in a note to investors Friday,” Brian Caulfield reports for Forbes.
“‘With investors understandably distracted and saddened by the news of Steve Jobs’ passing, we believe the key feature of iPhone 4S has been overlooked,’ Cross wrote. ‘We believe the technology will only be appreciated once in the hands of consumers,'” Caulfield reports. “The death of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs the day after Siri’s unveiling also overshadowed Siri’s capabilities. Much of what Siri does seems to parallel the voice-command features that have long been built into phones running Google’s Android software.”
Caulfield reports, “There’s more there, Cross argues. A lot more.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Shannon Cross gets it.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “GetMeOnTop” for the heads up.]
i would only counter that Siri is not a sleeper hit. I was online early this morning to get the new phone, and would have done so if Siri were the ONLY feature that differentiated it. I believe this is going to be earth-shaking and another instance of disruptive technology.
1
It’ll be a sleeper hit. What it does in the next 12 months will be nice, but what it becomes 3 years from now will stunning. Can’t wait for developers to begin integrating their apps with that (hoping AAPL opens up some APIs!)
This takes the “intuitive use” that a touch device has to yet a new level, and it’ll be felt at the display tables in the stores. This can’t be overstated.
I haven’t been able to use or maintain a digital calendar, digital task app, or notification system no matter how many times I take a run at it. Too much administrative data entry for me — I usually quit after the 3rd item.
Siri might take 90% of the pain out of that. I can see using it now.
maybe they should use a paper clip logo for it? that would get attention.
+1 hahahahaha
Agreed – once people start using SIRI – we wouldn’t care much about how big the screen is for typing – the resolution of the retina screen will be important and the battery life.
Though Apple did not invent SIRI, they innovated the entire way to we the USERS shall EXPERIENCE our days… the functionality and integration of the voice assistant is Apples next big thing… and to think…
STEVE leaves us all with that gift;
BUYING SIRI at the right time.
They should market Siri with the clip from Star Trek IV, when Scotty was trying to talk to a computer. It was, in fact, a Mac, so it would be perfect. Surely they could get the rights to it.
The first thing that I’m gonna ask Siri is, “Who was Steve Jobs?”. Just curious as to what response I’ll get…
Probably a Wikipedia entry via Safari.
SIRI will provide you with a good answer.
http://allaboutstevejobs.com/
Siri…Bring back Steve Jobs…please
I hope Apple would digitize Steve Jobs’ voice as standard in the voice activation component of SIRI in the iPhone, iPad and the Mac. This should be the most lasting and appropriate tribute to be accorded by Apple to the legacy of Steve Jobs.
Since SIRI is deeply integrated with Wolfram Alpha and Nuance, they would be attractive acquisition candidates for Apple.
Siri looks awesome, but the Android-killer is the free 3GS.
I agree! Cost is no longer an entry barrier. Just think of all the people who couldn’t spend $200+ on a phone that are about to enter the ecosystem. Think of all the kids/teens that will now be able to convince their parents to let them have one.
Once they use it, and see other peoples 4S and SIRI, it is all over they will spend the money and they will become users for life.
Steve’s consciousness was downloaded into the Apple Data Farm and will be the Intelligence that runs Siri.
I get a chuckle whenever I hear some fandroid talk about their voice integration. With Android, the commands are extremely limited in both number and function and are only superficially integrated with the operating system. And there is *nothing* like the natural speech recognition that Siri has. The 2 experience are absolutely night and day. Once again, Android screws around with something and calls it a feature and Apple turns around and shows everyone how it’s done.
I chuckle also. There is a huge difference between “feature” and “future”
Siri, the feature IS the FUTURE..
Just for fun I opened up the google voice app this morning and said something like, “what will the weather be like today?”
I got 12 listings for books on amazon.com and other such nonsense.
They should really work on that over at google.
My wife and I have taken to talking to Siri even though we don’t have the phone yet. It’s ways when we’re bummed we have to make the effort to do the work manually: “Siri, what’s the weather going to be like today? Siri set my alarm for 6 tomorrow. Siri, where’s the nearest Starbucks?(we’re on vacation)”
I really can’t wait until it’s real!!
I saw this in an article today, they were talking about the 1987 Apple clip where they show a professor interacting with a tablet (iPad) video chat (FaceTime) and interacting with the computer (Siri). Most of us have seen it, but they brought out seething I missed!
The professor was asking the assistant about a research paper, and said it was published 5 years ago in 2006, his calendar had the date of September 16, that would make the date 9/16/2011
Okay, Steve was off 2 weeks
It is just amazing….the foresight I mean.
Question…is that video Apples’ or someone else’s?
Apple’s video I believe ….. I see the Apple logo on the little tablet computer ….
Siri is another example of Apple making it VERY difficult for the competition “copy and match” Apple’s products. The competition can try to match hardware specs, but Apple’s software and services make the real difference.
The competition made iPod clones, but they didn’t have access to iTunes and the iTunes Store. The competition made powerful PCs, but they were not powered by Mac OS X. The competition can make smartphones and tablets, but they don’t have the App Store (and its developers). And now, Apple has Siri…
The competition can try to match the hardware, but they can’t match Apple’s USER EXPERIENCE.
This is what I’ve been telling people. When you say something is twice as fast or lasts this much longer (battery life)… with the speeds and longevity we have now… not that impressive… or passion feeding.
But, when you consider that to input you merely speak… well that is right up there with the invention of the mouse, or the disk drive, or the iPad… it is truly revolutionary… and will bring the competition closer to their knees.
So the moral of this is simple… buy APPL now… buy it like I did when it was $123/share two days before the introduction of the iPhone… and we now know where it is. Once it hits, once the commercials hit… the word will be out and the demand will be huge…
A personal assistant for the self-employed… that alone makes it large… haha.
John Gruber at Daringfireball.net mentioned on a podcast this week he gave the command, “Open the pod bay doors, Hal” to Siri at the iPhone 4Steve keynote, and the response was something like, “That’s a rude thing to say to a digital assistant.”
*g* So Siri’s taking Easter eggs to whole other level, and that’s great!
I wonder if there is anyone at Apple who, besides thinking that the 4S phone stands for 4 Siri, it also stands for “For Steve?”
Nice thought perhaps it is. If true, they pulled a nice fast one on Steve!
Siri is more than voice commands. Siri is AI with a very large datacenter. While companies like Amazon want to go to the past (their “optimized” internet) aka Opera Mini, Apple is moving the UI to AI. Bill Gate’s has got to be pissed. First Tablets were taken from him, he started and predicted them, he couldn’t make them work. Now AI. How ironic at one time Microsoft would steal everything Apple did, how does the shoe fit now. Oh and Apple actually IMPROVES the experience not CHEAPEN it.