Think iPhone and you think Siri. Both have become inseparable ever since Siri’s launch way back in October 2011 with iPhone 4s. It’s undoubtedly among the more popular features of the iPhone and iPad, proudly promoted by Apple at every launch. And why not? It certainly is a marvel of technology. And that’s why we don’t understand why Apple users don’t warm up to it, especially since Siri has had than 4 years to endear itself to the audience.
The reasons are many, the most prominent one being that Siri is not so great at understanding different accents. And people don’t want to waste time repeating themselves if Siri isn’t able to get it right the first time round! No wonder then that it has become an inactive method of communication in iPhones and iPads!
But on September 9 this year, Apple announced an all new Apple TV with all new remote that comes with with Siri built in. This means that you speak into your remote to play music, movies, search etc. In other words, the user is going to be heavily dependent on Siri for communication.
Every Apple TV user will know the value of this addition. Typing through the current Apple remote is an absolute nightmare! And speaking to Siri instead seems like a much easier job. For instance, if you’re watching a film and missed out on a sentence, you could ask Siri, “What did she say?” The ever-obedient Siri will rewind the film by 15 seconds so that you can hear the missed part all over again!
Similarly, Siri can also help you search for your favorite TV shows and movies by title, cast, genre, rating or popularity. For instance, you can ask Siri something like, “Hey Siri, show me X-Files,” or “Find films with David Duchovny” or “Find all films from Marvel”. Having made your request, Apple TV will browse through iTunes and other apps from HBO, Hulu and Netflix, and display all the results for you to pick and choose from! Now, if that isn’t convenient, what is?
But wait, it doesn’t end here. In addition to all the features outlined above, Siri also has an on-screen navigation and a super quick access to stock market, sports and weather updates. Basically, all the information you were clicking for at the click of a remote; or rather, at the command of your voice!
Now these are some really interesting features, no doubt, but are they enough to attract all Apple users to embrace Siri and use it more often? We’ll just let time answer that question.
