Can Siri read out your messages and or emails etc ??
Siri can read, reply to, and send SMS text messages. But not emails. Can't read web pages either nor read back anything it retrieves from Wolfram Alpha... still it's amazing (when it can get a network connection).
So far, Siri has been nothing short of magical. Simply stunning. I am taken aback by how sophisticated it is. Can't believe it's a beta.
The ones whining about it here either have very poor luck (sorry!), or comprise the usual suspects (e.g., BB, CJ) who probably cannot afford the 4S (and think it's not much more than 'voice recognition').
He has a valid point. If you offer a service, you should be able to support the service. How would you like to buy a car with a new nav system only to find the highly touted voice-activated nav system didn't work half the time?
Ford and Microsoft have already pioneered voice-activated nav systems that don't work half the time:
Don't worry. As long as Microsoft software doesn't control any major safety systems (airbags, brakes, etc.) you should survive without air conditioning or music or nav.
Curious as to no one is questioning why the iPhone 4 doesn't have SIRI. Since it's a server side app the original 4 should have no problems running it. Besides I already had SIRI before they shut it off. Nice upgrade Apple. Thanks for nothing. And no, I can't get a 4S, my phones too new.
Curious as to no one is questioning why the iPhone 4 doesn't have SIRI. Since it's a server side app the original 4 should have no problems running it. Besides I already had SIRI before they shut it off. Nice upgrade Apple. Thanks for nothing. And no, I can't get a 4S, my phones too new.
This, fellow readers, is an example of "justifying with logic".
No, this is being realistic... like most people in the world. Not everyone expects technology to instantly be perfect and do everything in the world for them. Most people understand that in the real world, devices like this can be extremely useful... in spite of not being perfect.
I think this is why it's so hard for people on forums like this to understand why people can be overjoyed at devices like the iPhone 4S... in spite of a few shortcomings. In the real world most people are not sitting around finding those shortcomings and dwelling on them... we're trying to get real shit accomplished in our lives. If any device makes that stuff easier to accomplish... then that's a big win!
1. Siri is a beta -- that means that Apple needs to measure how well it recognizes and handles:
1.1 speech to text translation
1.2 AI - conversational, contextual text analysis
1.3 How well Apple's servers and backbone can handle the expected load
A simple text to speech translation of simple predefined commands to specific predefined apps in not what Siri does. Though, Siri could certainly degrade to the existing voice command system (as on the iP4) if the network is unavailable.
What Siri does is more general speech to text translation -- more recognizable words, commands, questions, statements... etc. The files are rather large to cache on the phone -- even if the translation could take place there. But, Apple would have no way to measure the effectiveness, or learn what the user was trying to get Siri to do -- without sending the files to its servers.
The same goes for the AI - conversational, contextual text analysis -- a larger vocabulary means an incrementally larger database of words to analyze -- as well as saving the context of the conversation.
Again, the beta is a learning opportunity for Apple on how to improve the process -- it is very valuable to capture this information -- where it can be analyzed in depth, over time -- to compare requests from multiple users/origins.
Siri needs to analyze what it is doing (well and poorly) so it can become more capable.
By calling Siri a beta Apple is telling customers that this is an unproven service that Apple wants to offer... you should expect problems with a beta.
By limiting Siri to the new, limited availability iPhone 4S, Apple, essentially, limited the scope of the initial beta -- and even then there were: problems, analysis, fixes... repeat -- that's what a beta is.
Just imagine if Apple had opened Siri to any A4 or later, iPhone, Touch or iPad -- instead of 4 million [sometimes] frustrated 4S user, you would have over 100 million continually frustrated iDevice users -- not a good way to run a beta.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Woffles
Curious as to no one is questioning why the iPhone 4 doesn't have SIRI. Since it's a server side app the original 4 should have no problems running it. Besides I already had SIRI before they shut it off. Nice upgrade Apple. Thanks for nothing. And no, I can't get a 4S, my phones too new.
Well... You're entitled, and therefore you shall have it!
If you had spent a little less time posting that you feel sorry for yourself, and a little more time reading the threads... You would find that this has been discussed many times -- including the above post of mine that was 6 posts above yours!
Restated... try to understand this... if the Siri beta was released on the iP4, Touch, iPad 1, iPad 2 -- there would be over 100 million iDevices trying to hit Apple's servers, simultaneously... and the beta would end in server overload -- and be of no use to Apple or the Beta Testers!
Some of us here, understand what a beta is and why it is offered in a limited, controlled environment.
Some of us here, were willing to pay ETFs, or whatever financial/time sacrifice to participate in the beta.
For God's sake Woz stood in line for hours to buy an iPhone 4S.
Others, apparently feel that the rules must be changed to include them -- just because they're them.
Unfortunately, the world doesn't work that way -- if you want to see the show, you gotta' buy a ticket!
Now, go run to your mommy -- and tell her that this old man on the Internet was mean to you!
I think Apple understands a significant part of the market wants a larger screen and will make this happen. I do not think Apple will make the phone larger though to achieve the larger screen. If you look at the face of the iPhone you will see a good chuck of the front is not the actual screen. Apple can get another quarter inch in the width by widening the screen to the edge. It can a half inch by expanding the screen vertically. It can probably get about an inch vertically if it reengineers the shape of the home button and the location of the speaker.
The iPhone design is excellent, but competition is tough. Apple will eventually have to move the stick again. I wouldn't be surprised if the case makers who were sure they knew a new design was coming were right but have the timing wrong. I don't see Apple releasing a new design though so soon. We might wait as long as a year.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Prof. Peabody
We know from very recent polls however, that even with all the hype about the bigger screens in the marketplace, and even given the fact that many many people fully expected a bigger screen this time, that only a measly 17% of people (in the USA) were disappointed when it didn't happen.
It's much more likely that a year from now, there will be even less people (than this small minority of US users), who will be interested in a larger screen.
Apple has a history of making products smaller, thinner, and lighter, usually without changing the screen size. Again, it's much more likely that next year's iPhone will be smaller, than bigger.
If they follow past practice, the next iPhone will have the same screen size, but all the components inside, outside, and around it, will shrink. Physically, the shell could be a quarter to a half inch smaller in two dimensions and still have the current screen size. They might be able to make it thinner as well.
Plenty people are questioning, but these are the same people who sometimes forget Apple is a company that unlike some of its competitors actually has to sell new phones to make money. For what it is worth, the Siri you had on your iPhone (as well as the one I had) is not the same Siri. Apple took that Siri and worked on it for two years. I'd assume it is much improved.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Woffles
Curious as to no one is questioning why the iPhone 4 doesn't have SIRI. Since it's a server side app the original 4 should have no problems running it. Besides I already had SIRI before they shut it off. Nice upgrade Apple. Thanks for nothing. And no, I can't get a 4S, my phones too new.
(a) Apple would need to charge for the Siri app...remember FaceTime??? It's a pretty serious accounting issue since they've already booked the revenue for the 3gs and 4 models.
(b) Nobody, not even Microsoft, has ever done a 100 million user beta. Nobody could ever sanely predict that everything is in place to handle that kind of traffic. You can't emulate 100 million users.
(c) Even with the few problems Siri has now, they're getting slammed, why would they want to multiply that by, literally, 50?
(d) There are certain license fees that must be paid per device. Not all the technology involved in Siri is Apple-developed. Again, this is a huge accounting issue. Let's say that the license fees add up to, i dunno, $3.44 per phone. If Apple opens Siri to ALL iDevices, that's a lot of money!
(e) Finally, there's a bit more going on with the device itself. A lot of the data is shipped off to the servers for processing, but there's significant audio processing and factoring that happens on the phone as well. Yes, they could let it run crippled on the 3gs and 4, but suddenly their "triumph" would become "a feature that 100 million people are complaining about.
Seriously, Apple is not hell-bent on taking your money and forcing you to upgrade to a 4s. They'll get you on the iPhone 5, and they already can't make enough iPhones, iPads or MacBook Air's. If they could reasonably do it for "good will" or to make the competition look inferior they would. Think... "Why would I buy an Android or Mango when even a 3gs has Siri?"
Plenty people are questioning, but these are the same people who sometimes forget Apple is a company that unlike some of its competitors actually has to sell new phones to make money. For what it is worth, the Siri you had on your iPhone (as well as the one I had) is not the same Siri. Apple took that Siri and worked on it for two years. I'd assume it is much improved.
True, but why screw your current customers? I can see the iPhone 3 not being supported but I'm still on an iPhone 4. Just don't have the little S.
Just gets old and they aren't the only company doing it. As for Siri, it's still a server side application which was improved. I doubt there was a lot done on the phone side. It's just a front end which doesn't do any of the heavy lifting. I could run a Cray from my phone with a simple interface.
Well... You're entitled, and therefore you shall have it!
If you had spent a little less time posting that you feel sorry for yourself, and a little more time reading the threads... You would find that this has been discussed many times -- including the above post of mine that was 6 posts above yours!
Restated... try to understand this... if the Siri beta was released on the iP4, Touch, iPad 1, iPad 2 -- there would be over 100 million iDevices trying to hit Apple's servers, simultaneously... and the beta would end in server overload -- and be of no use to Apple or the Beta Testers!
Some of us here, understand what a beta is and why it is offered in a limited, controlled environment.
Some of us here, were willing to pay ETFs, or whatever financial/time sacrifice to participate in the beta.
For God's sake Woz stood in line for hours to buy an iPhone 4S.
Others, apparently feel that the rules must be changed to include them -- just because they're them.
Unfortunately, the world doesn't work that way -- if you want to see the show, you gotta' buy a ticket!
Now, go run to your mommy -- and tell her that this old man on the Internet was mean to you!
Sheesh!
It's on a production phone. Who cares about Woz? I actually care about the user community as a whole instead of trying to score little points on threads like this. Hope you feel better about yourself putting me in my place! Not. Next.
(a) Apple would need to charge for the Siri app...remember FaceTime??? It's a pretty serious accounting issue since they've already booked the revenue for the 3gs and 4 models.
(b) Nobody, not even Microsoft, has ever done a 100 million user beta. Nobody could ever sanely predict that everything is in place to handle that kind of traffic. You can't emulate 100 million users.
(c) Even with the few problems Siri has now, they're getting slammed, why would they want to multiply that by, literally, 50?
(d) There are certain license fees that must be paid per device. Not all the technology involved in Siri is Apple-developed. Again, this is a huge accounting issue. Let's say that the license fees add up to, i dunno, $3.44 per phone. If Apple opens Siri to ALL iDevices, that's a lot of money!
(e) Finally, there's a bit more going on with the device itself. A lot of the data is shipped off to the servers for processing, but there's significant audio processing and factoring that happens on the phone as well. Yes, they could let it run crippled on the 3gs and 4, but suddenly their "triumph" would become "a feature that 100 million people are complaining about.
Seriously, Apple is not hell-bent on taking your money and forcing you to upgrade to a 4s. They'll get you on the iPhone 5, and they already can't make enough iPhones, iPads or MacBook Air's. If they could reasonably do it for "good will" or to make the competition look inferior they would. Think... "Why would I buy an Android or Mango when even a 3gs has Siri?"
I'm pretty sure "all" of the data is shipped off to servers for processing. Siri does absolutely nothing without a connection. What "significant" audio processing do you think is done on the phone itself? (serious question) I seriously would like answers and not the usual put downs that happen in these threads.
Do a Wireshark trace of the data. Only in cases where it's beyond interpretation does the full audio get sent.
If you're not up for looking at a network trace, or don't know what to look for...
Use Siri for a while and notice that it improves in accuracy. Then, disable Siri and re-enable it. Try the same requests. Notice that Siri doesn't function as well, but begins building back to its prior competency over time. Also, notice that it spends more time processing requests after you have disabled and re-enabled.
Comments
Can Siri read out your messages and or emails etc ??
Siri can read, reply to, and send SMS text messages. But not emails. Can't read web pages either nor read back anything it retrieves from Wolfram Alpha... still it's amazing (when it can get a network connection).
The ones whining about it here either have very poor luck (sorry!), or comprise the usual suspects (e.g., BB, CJ) who probably cannot afford the 4S (and think it's not much more than 'voice recognition').
So far, Siri has been nothing short of magical. Simply stunning. I am taken aback by how sophisticated it is. Can't believe it's a beta.
The amount of data it will collect will be quite impressive and over time, it should eventually turn it into the modern equivalent of HAL 9000:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nHJkAYdT7qo
At least it has a sense of humour:
Daniel Eran: I'm looking for breakfast in Cow Hollow
Siri: if you say so
The amount of data it will collect will be quite impressive and over time, it should eventually turn it into the modern equivalent of HAL 9000:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nHJkAYdT7qo
At least it has a sense of humour:
Daniel Eran: I'm looking for breakfast in Cow Hollow
Siri: if you say so
LOL Great Vid!
He has a valid point. If you offer a service, you should be able to support the service. How would you like to buy a car with a new nav system only to find the highly touted voice-activated nav system didn't work half the time?
Ford and Microsoft have already pioneered voice-activated nav systems that don't work half the time:
http://www.autoblog.com/2011/03/30/f...a-buggy-start/
Don't worry. As long as Microsoft software doesn't control any major safety systems (airbags, brakes, etc.) you should survive without air conditioning or music or nav.
Curious as to no one is questioning why the iPhone 4 doesn't have SIRI. Since it's a server side app the original 4 should have no problems running it. Besides I already had SIRI before they shut it off. Nice upgrade Apple. Thanks for nothing. And no, I can't get a 4S, my phones too new.
More money for the Apple coffers?
Curious as to no one is questioning why the iPhone 4 doesn't have SIRI.
Hundreds are. Curious as to why you don't notice them.
Since it's a server side app the original 4 should have no problems running it.
It doesn't, as seen in many videos.
And no, I can't get a 4S, my phones too new.
That's a virtual impossibility, not a physical one. There's a big difference.
This, fellow readers, is an example of "justifying with logic".
No, this is being realistic... like most people in the world. Not everyone expects technology to instantly be perfect and do everything in the world for them. Most people understand that in the real world, devices like this can be extremely useful... in spite of not being perfect.
I think this is why it's so hard for people on forums like this to understand why people can be overjoyed at devices like the iPhone 4S... in spite of a few shortcomings. In the real world most people are not sitting around finding those shortcomings and dwelling on them... we're trying to get real shit accomplished in our lives. If any device makes that stuff easier to accomplish... then that's a big win!
A couple of things:
1. Siri is a beta -- that means that Apple needs to measure how well it recognizes and handles:
1.1 speech to text translation
1.2 AI - conversational, contextual text analysis
1.3 How well Apple's servers and backbone can handle the expected load
A simple text to speech translation of simple predefined commands to specific predefined apps in not what Siri does. Though, Siri could certainly degrade to the existing voice command system (as on the iP4) if the network is unavailable.
What Siri does is more general speech to text translation -- more recognizable words, commands, questions, statements... etc. The files are rather large to cache on the phone -- even if the translation could take place there. But, Apple would have no way to measure the effectiveness, or learn what the user was trying to get Siri to do -- without sending the files to its servers.
The same goes for the AI - conversational, contextual text analysis -- a larger vocabulary means an incrementally larger database of words to analyze -- as well as saving the context of the conversation.
Again, the beta is a learning opportunity for Apple on how to improve the process -- it is very valuable to capture this information -- where it can be analyzed in depth, over time -- to compare requests from multiple users/origins.
Siri needs to analyze what it is doing (well and poorly) so it can become more capable.
By calling Siri a beta Apple is telling customers that this is an unproven service that Apple wants to offer... you should expect problems with a beta.
By limiting Siri to the new, limited availability iPhone 4S, Apple, essentially, limited the scope of the initial beta -- and even then there were: problems, analysis, fixes... repeat -- that's what a beta is.
Just imagine if Apple had opened Siri to any A4 or later, iPhone, Touch or iPad -- instead of 4 million [sometimes] frustrated 4S user, you would have over 100 million continually frustrated iDevice users -- not a good way to run a beta.
Curious as to no one is questioning why the iPhone 4 doesn't have SIRI. Since it's a server side app the original 4 should have no problems running it. Besides I already had SIRI before they shut it off. Nice upgrade Apple. Thanks for nothing. And no, I can't get a 4S, my phones too new.
Well... You're entitled, and therefore you shall have it!
If you had spent a little less time posting that you feel sorry for yourself, and a little more time reading the threads... You would find that this has been discussed many times -- including the above post of mine that was 6 posts above yours!
Restated... try to understand this... if the Siri beta was released on the iP4, Touch, iPad 1, iPad 2 -- there would be over 100 million iDevices trying to hit Apple's servers, simultaneously... and the beta would end in server overload -- and be of no use to Apple or the Beta Testers!
Some of us here, understand what a beta is and why it is offered in a limited, controlled environment.
Some of us here, were willing to pay ETFs, or whatever financial/time sacrifice to participate in the beta.
For God's sake Woz stood in line for hours to buy an iPhone 4S.
Others, apparently feel that the rules must be changed to include them -- just because they're them.
Unfortunately, the world doesn't work that way -- if you want to see the show, you gotta' buy a ticket!
Now, go run to your mommy -- and tell her that this old man on the Internet was mean to you!
Sheesh!
The iPhone design is excellent, but competition is tough. Apple will eventually have to move the stick again. I wouldn't be surprised if the case makers who were sure they knew a new design was coming were right but have the timing wrong. I don't see Apple releasing a new design though so soon. We might wait as long as a year.
We know from very recent polls however, that even with all the hype about the bigger screens in the marketplace, and even given the fact that many many people fully expected a bigger screen this time, that only a measly 17% of people (in the USA) were disappointed when it didn't happen.
It's much more likely that a year from now, there will be even less people (than this small minority of US users), who will be interested in a larger screen.
Apple has a history of making products smaller, thinner, and lighter, usually without changing the screen size. Again, it's much more likely that next year's iPhone will be smaller, than bigger.
If they follow past practice, the next iPhone will have the same screen size, but all the components inside, outside, and around it, will shrink. Physically, the shell could be a quarter to a half inch smaller in two dimensions and still have the current screen size. They might be able to make it thinner as well.
Curious as to no one is questioning why the iPhone 4 doesn't have SIRI. Since it's a server side app the original 4 should have no problems running it. Besides I already had SIRI before they shut it off. Nice upgrade Apple. Thanks for nothing. And no, I can't get a 4S, my phones too new.
(a) Apple would need to charge for the Siri app...remember FaceTime??? It's a pretty serious accounting issue since they've already booked the revenue for the 3gs and 4 models.
(b) Nobody, not even Microsoft, has ever done a 100 million user beta. Nobody could ever sanely predict that everything is in place to handle that kind of traffic. You can't emulate 100 million users.
(c) Even with the few problems Siri has now, they're getting slammed, why would they want to multiply that by, literally, 50?
(d) There are certain license fees that must be paid per device. Not all the technology involved in Siri is Apple-developed. Again, this is a huge accounting issue. Let's say that the license fees add up to, i dunno, $3.44 per phone. If Apple opens Siri to ALL iDevices, that's a lot of money!
(e) Finally, there's a bit more going on with the device itself. A lot of the data is shipped off to the servers for processing, but there's significant audio processing and factoring that happens on the phone as well. Yes, they could let it run crippled on the 3gs and 4, but suddenly their "triumph" would become "a feature that 100 million people are complaining about.
Seriously, Apple is not hell-bent on taking your money and forcing you to upgrade to a 4s. They'll get you on the iPhone 5, and they already can't make enough iPhones, iPads or MacBook Air's. If they could reasonably do it for "good will" or to make the competition look inferior they would. Think... "Why would I buy an Android or Mango when even a 3gs has Siri?"
(b) Nobody, not even Microsoft, has ever done a 100 million user beta.
That's correct. Vista was an alpha. HIYO!
All joking aside, your points are incredibly valid.
Hundreds are. Curious as to why you don't notice them.
It doesn't, as seen in many videos.
That's a virtual impossibility, not a physical one. There's a big difference.
I was just talking about in this thread, not the world.
It doesn't run because Apple crippled it not to run, not because it can't.
If I don't have the cash lying around to blow on a new phone, trust me, it's a physical one not virtual.
Nice try at logic though, Next.
Plenty people are questioning, but these are the same people who sometimes forget Apple is a company that unlike some of its competitors actually has to sell new phones to make money. For what it is worth, the Siri you had on your iPhone (as well as the one I had) is not the same Siri. Apple took that Siri and worked on it for two years. I'd assume it is much improved.
True, but why screw your current customers? I can see the iPhone 3 not being supported but I'm still on an iPhone 4. Just don't have the little S.
Just gets old and they aren't the only company doing it. As for Siri, it's still a server side application which was improved. I doubt there was a lot done on the phone side. It's just a front end which doesn't do any of the heavy lifting. I could run a Cray from my phone with a simple interface.
Well... You're entitled, and therefore you shall have it!
If you had spent a little less time posting that you feel sorry for yourself, and a little more time reading the threads... You would find that this has been discussed many times -- including the above post of mine that was 6 posts above yours!
Restated... try to understand this... if the Siri beta was released on the iP4, Touch, iPad 1, iPad 2 -- there would be over 100 million iDevices trying to hit Apple's servers, simultaneously... and the beta would end in server overload -- and be of no use to Apple or the Beta Testers!
Some of us here, understand what a beta is and why it is offered in a limited, controlled environment.
Some of us here, were willing to pay ETFs, or whatever financial/time sacrifice to participate in the beta.
For God's sake Woz stood in line for hours to buy an iPhone 4S.
Others, apparently feel that the rules must be changed to include them -- just because they're them.
Unfortunately, the world doesn't work that way -- if you want to see the show, you gotta' buy a ticket!
Now, go run to your mommy -- and tell her that this old man on the Internet was mean to you!
Sheesh!
It's on a production phone. Who cares about Woz? I actually care about the user community as a whole instead of trying to score little points on threads like this. Hope you feel better about yourself putting me in my place! Not. Next.
It's amazing that nobody considers
(a) Apple would need to charge for the Siri app...remember FaceTime??? It's a pretty serious accounting issue since they've already booked the revenue for the 3gs and 4 models.
(b) Nobody, not even Microsoft, has ever done a 100 million user beta. Nobody could ever sanely predict that everything is in place to handle that kind of traffic. You can't emulate 100 million users.
(c) Even with the few problems Siri has now, they're getting slammed, why would they want to multiply that by, literally, 50?
(d) There are certain license fees that must be paid per device. Not all the technology involved in Siri is Apple-developed. Again, this is a huge accounting issue. Let's say that the license fees add up to, i dunno, $3.44 per phone. If Apple opens Siri to ALL iDevices, that's a lot of money!
(e) Finally, there's a bit more going on with the device itself. A lot of the data is shipped off to the servers for processing, but there's significant audio processing and factoring that happens on the phone as well. Yes, they could let it run crippled on the 3gs and 4, but suddenly their "triumph" would become "a feature that 100 million people are complaining about.
Seriously, Apple is not hell-bent on taking your money and forcing you to upgrade to a 4s. They'll get you on the iPhone 5, and they already can't make enough iPhones, iPads or MacBook Air's. If they could reasonably do it for "good will" or to make the competition look inferior they would. Think... "Why would I buy an Android or Mango when even a 3gs has Siri?"
I'm pretty sure "all" of the data is shipped off to servers for processing. Siri does absolutely nothing without a connection. What "significant" audio processing do you think is done on the phone itself? (serious question) I seriously would like answers and not the usual put downs that happen in these threads.
It doesn't run because Apple crippled it not to run, not because it can't.
Exactly. That's what I said.
If I don't have the cash lying around to blow on a new phone, trust me, it's a physical one not virtual.
Good. You're sane. Not someone who randomly charges crap for the sake of it.
Nice try at logic though, Next.
Nice try at random insults, though.
If you're not up for looking at a network trace, or don't know what to look for...
Use Siri for a while and notice that it improves in accuracy. Then, disable Siri and re-enable it. Try the same requests. Notice that Siri doesn't function as well, but begins building back to its prior competency over time. Also, notice that it spends more time processing requests after you have disabled and re-enabled.