I’ve spent a week pondering on the new iPhone 4S. I’ve savoured the speed, imagined using the excellent camera, looked forward to iOS 5 (which isn’t, of course, exclusive to the 4S). But I haven’t thought much about Siri. Voice recognition? We’ve all had our moments with that in the past and my first inclination was to write off Siri as a gimmick. I was wrong.
The first reviews of the 4S are now out of embargo and Siri is being hailed as the killer feature that will fuel upgrades and sales of the phone to first-time buyers. It really works, and Siri is being seen as an intelligent assistant who will make your life easier.
If it’s as good as the testers say, Siri will sell its/his/herself to the masses. Which new iPhone 4S owner will be able to resist showing Siri off to all and sundry? Even talking to Siri in public, which I am inclined to hate, can only raise awareness.
Here are some of the first reviews:
- Techcrunch
- Macworld, Jason Snell video and review
- 9to5Mac on Siri
- Macstories roundup
- Macrumours roundup
- The Loop, Jim Dalrymple
- Washington Post, Josh Topolsky
And here is Jason Snell’s conversation with Siri