From the moment that Apple announced that the iPhone 4S would include the voice assistant program Siri, it has been one of the most talked-about features of the new phone. It’s certainly one of the biggest draws for those who purchase the device.
It appears that Apple is well-aware of that fact, as they have based their first iPhone 4S commercial around Siri.
The ad demonstrates the wide variety of ways in which Siri can assist iPhone 4S users. In the ad, Siri aids people in fixing a flat tire, tying a bowtie, finding the nearest hospital, checking the weather, setting reminders, scheduling meetings, setting alarms, playing some Coltrane, finding a locksmith and, of course, discovering what a weasel looks like. It’s an effective ad that shows all the real word uses of Siri.
Check it out below:
Of course, Siri can help you out with real-life problems, but people are finding out that Siri can be a pretty good source of entertainment as well. Users have been having a blast by asking Siri questions that you might call “off the beaten path,” like “Siri, open the pod bay doors.” In perfect reference to 2001: A Space Odyssey, Siri sometimes responds “I’m afraid I can’t do that.”
More on those little Easter Eggs here.
It’s not all fun and games for Siri, however, as a couple of problems have already sprung up regarding its functionality. Various YouTube videos have confirmed that Siri isn’t that great at deciphering English spoken with certain accents – most notably Scottish and Japanese.
And Siri also provides a slight security risk. We learned that by default, Siri can bypass your iPhone’s passcode to perform tasks like sending emails, texts and making calls. This can easily be remedied by turning off Siri functionality for locked devices, but the fact that it is able bypass the lock by default is troubling to some users.
Have you had a chance to interact with Siri? What do you think? Let us know in the comments.