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iPhone 4S Reviews: "Best iPhone Yet", Great Camera, Siri Straight Out of Sci Fi
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Again, the first iteration of an integrated technology. How they came by it is irrelevant - after all Michelangelo didn't invent paint, but he sure knew how to use it in ways no-one else did.
What matters is that having integrated it, Apple now own it and have little alternative than to develop it over time within their overall design ethos. It's no longer a technology that stands or falls on a third-party who could lead it in any direction.
Everything is built on what already exists. Without understanding what actually makes Siri unique, technically and practically, it's premature to say whether or not it is "merely" an evolution.
The iPhone isn't the best at everything. Every single iPhone has not been the best at everything. Every single iPhone has been behind and deficient to a certain group of people. There was never an iPhone that people thought was the peak of everything. As you say, what the iPhone always is...it seems to me and millions of others...is the best complete package- the best phone. It never was and never will be the best phone on a spec sheet. When it first came out it was revolutionary and changed everything - but was still behind in a number of ways (no apps, could not copy and paste, horrible camera). The iPhone has its strengths and weaknesses and in the past years of Android and Windows phones it has progressed and they have progressed but it is about where it has always been - the best overall phone but not universally the best phone in every category. It is always catching up in some ways, and ahead in some ways just like Android. And that is the awesome we benefit from.
I am also upgrading from the 3GS to the 4S. Very excited. And throwing away my wife's unbearably crappy Vue for a 4S.
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I am amazed - absolutely amazed - that anyone with a 4 would upgrade to a 4S. Not that the 4S is or is not worth it, I just in my ignorance thought everyone with phones upgraded every 2 years on their contract schedule. I never even considered the alternative.
Its not AI, but its more than a library. There is some language interpretation going on which is mathematically intense and one way forward for interaction with machines.
I expect in the next year or 2 they will add more info sources than Yelp and Wolfram and expect that you should be able to ask it about sports scores and other stuff.
Some users become eligible sooner than 2 years, usually (I think) due to a plan that is worth more to the provider. Some sell their old phones and buy themselves out of the contract, or swap phones with family members or friends. As a result there always seem to be a small minority of users who upgrade yearly. Most don't of course.
Perhaps the poster you were responding to has forgotten that we, too, are an evolution from what went before us, and that as the product of an evolutionary process, we are also more capable than what went before.
So if Siri requires an internet connection to work, why limit it to the 4S?
Maybe it's server-related? How many 4S users are there compared to iOS users? Also it's still in beta.
It requires an internet connection to get the information.
No use in asking it "what's the weather" or "what's the capital of..." if it can't actually search the internet to find out.
Wouldn't they want to see how it runs on a wider range of hardware if it were in beta?
But things like read me the text message doesn't require internet connectivity?
There are a lot of functions which wouldn't "require" internet - reading back emails/texts... music controls. Setting appointments.
Do we KNOW if it needs internet for EVERY task?
Again - Siri will be fun to tinker with - and no doubt many people will enjoy it. But I think some people (not everyone) will think it's going to save them time/be easier and also be hands free.
Unless you have a bluetooth headset - you'll still need to look/touch the screen for confirmations - which is still a driving "hazard."
Short tasks - like looking up local weather - might not save that much time. But dictating a long email or text - it would.
It will vary from person to person as to whether or not Siri is a gimmick or becomes a truly integrated part of their daily iPhone experience.
Do we KNOW if it needs internet for EVERY task?
Again - Siri will be fun to tinker with - and no doubt many people will enjoy it. But I think some people (not everyone) will think it's going to save them time/be easier and also be hands free.
Unless you have a bluetooth headset - you'll still need to look/touch the screen for confirmations - which is still a driving "hazard."
Short tasks - like looking up local weather - might not save that much time. But dictating a long email or text - it would.
It will vary from person to person as to whether or not Siri is a gimmick or becomes a truly integrated part of their daily iPhone experience.
Well, I'm only guessing Apple limited Siri to the 4S because there will be fewer 4S users than iOS 5 users so that might be easier on the back end while it's still in beta. And I'm also guessing that Apple is doing testing internally if they intend on releasing Siri on other devices. But I'm just guessing.
On the iPhone 4S page it states, Siri is available in Beta only on iPhone 4S and 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.
http://www.apple.com/iphone/features/
But I think that's for web-related processes. Otherwise I think Siri doesn't require Internet access.
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I'm considering an upgrade from 4. AT&T will sell me the 16G for $450 plus tax. I suspect I can sell my 4 for $250 to $300 on ebay (it is in great shape and I will throw in a case that I have and don't like all that much). So the cost of upgrading isn't going to be too much. When I consider that I use my phone dozens of times a day, it might be money very well spent to improve that experience.
Yeah, I think if you couldn't tell Siri to play songs without an internet connection, that'd be a massive fail.
The current voice control on the iPhone 3GS/iPhone 4 can do that.
So if Siri requires an internet connection to work, why limit it to the 4S?
Pure speculation: it might not work well enough for
standards. I read an interview last week with the Siri CEO (can't find it now) where he talked about the integration in 4S and how they had to really optimize the old Siri app to work with 3GS. Ever try "voice control" on the 3G? (yes, you can enable it). It was dog slow.The 4 might indeed be do-able; but Siri is the "big thing" that makes the 4S standout from the other models, so I'm willing to bet that is also a considerable factor.
Nope, didn't miss it. My Nokia, my Sony Ericsson, etc..., it was always integrated technology. It never was just an "add-on app". Again, this is the first time we have some kind of natural language voice control that adds search engine capabilities. It remains to be seen how useful or gimmicky it ends up, but as with all previous iterations of this stuff, I tend to side with gimmick.
I'll get to play with it extensively once I get my iPhone 4S, hopefully this friday if my 271th place in line is good enough to score me a handset.
What made previous attempts at voice control more of a gimmick than a value-added feature was the need to use a narrow and precise command structure. It's been part of iOS for a couple of years too, and was still a gimmick. What sets this apart is that it isn't just voice control, it uses a natural language interface to perform a much wider variety of tasks than merely voice control of internal functions. Hence my previous description of it as being the first of its type.
Whether it proves to be a gimmick or not in the short term is yet to be seen, but with natural language capabilities it becomes more inviting and more widely useful to the user than having to remember command words and syntax. That should help it mature as a technology in the longer term, even if the first generation proves to be lacking.