Apple to Replace the Remote with Siri?

Apple Siri Icon

What’s Really Next for Apple in Television?

So it’s unclear how much is from an inside source vs. just putting the pieces together, but Nick Bilton at the NY Times is saying Apple will eventually build and ship a smart TV with Siri as the UI.    I have to confess, it makes perfect sense to me.   In a few years Siri will be pretty well debugged, the processor price performance will benefit from 1 or 2 Moore’s law iterations, and the rest of the industry will still be fighting over bad remote design and IR codes.    I know there aren’t a lot of Apple fans on this site, but in this case I think the TV industry is going to get what they deserve.

“I’ve finally cracked it!” Steven P. Jobs, co-founder of Apple, told his biographer, Walter Isaacson.

Although Mr. Jobs was referring to Apple’s plans to build a full-fledged television, he was not actually referring to the TV set, which is how the comment has been widely interpreted. Instead, it is becoming clear that Mr. Jobs was talking about Siri, Apple’s new artificial intelligent software on the iPhone 4S.

NY Times

 

  • I don’t get the Siri hype.

    I don’t get the Siri hype. Google and Android has had voice search for years. Its a gimmick. Apple was just smart about putting a TV commercial out there to woo the people that never read the manual for their phones.

     

  • Hmm..   this sounds familiar,

    Hmm..   this sounds familiar, let me edit your statement:

    I don’t get the iPod hype. Diamond and Creative Labs have had mp3 players for years. Its a gimmick. Apple was just smart about putting a TV commercial out there to woo the people that never read the manual for their mp3 player

    Or perhaps change the subjects to iPhone, Nokia and Ericson, etc..

    I don’t have much personal experience with Siri, but after the debacle of the Newton, Apple tends not to release any new technology until it’s nearly bullet proof.    My experience with VR on phones (and in my current car) is that it’s slow, clunky and works maybe 60% of time.   The little I’ve played with Siri, it’s been fast, accurate and didn’t require any training.   If they’ve crossed the 80% line, we’re going to see a change in how we interact with devices.

    • mpatnode wrote:If they’ve

      [quote=mpatnode]

      If they’ve crossed the 80% line, we’re going to see a change in how we interact with devices.

      [/quote]

      We may see a change in how some people interact with their devices, but I doubt that I’ll be talking to my phone anytime soon 🙂

      • George L. Schmauch Jr.

        babgvant wrote:mpatnode

        [quote=babgvant]

        [quote=mpatnode]

        If they’ve crossed the 80% line, we’re going to see a change in how we interact with devices.

        [/quote]

        We may see a change in how some people interact with their devices, but I doubt that I’ll be talking to my phone anytime soon 🙂

        [/quote]

        Man, you’re one of those???

        • skirge01 wrote:Man, you’re

          [quote=skirge01]

          Man, you’re one of those???

          [/quote]

          Not one of those; I don’t read newspapers* they are disgusting.  It’s more that I don’t even like to talk onthe phone to real people.  Talking to my phone is going to be even worse.

          * OT – it struck me the other day while watching the PBS documentary on Prohibition how little the newspaper industry has changed its product.

  • I dont forsee myself using

    I dont forsee myself using VR/Siri all that much, but it is a heck of a lot faster to just say “I have a meeting from 3-4pm next tuesday” than to add it manually.

  • gimmic.. fun for a week then

    gimmic.. fun for a week then it just gets damn annoying..  last thing i want to do is yell at my tv to have it do something.  its also why the mouse isn’t getting replaced anytime soon.. I can do more faster wIth slight movement of the mouse and click than shouting commands or waving my arms around in the air, etc.. same goes wIth a remote control vs voIce/motIon etc.

  • A colleague at work has one

    A colleague at work has one of those new iPhones and I have to admit it works pretty well from what little I saw demonstrated.  Is it practical?  Well the jury’s still out but I like the potential whether it’s for a phone, car or TV and the future will no doubt bring great improvements and practicality to such a tech.

    My only reservation about such a tech is that some day in the future I come home from work and turn the TV only to find that the family dog has enabled the security code and locked out all channels except for Animal Planet. 

  • It just occurred to me what

    It just occurred to me what fun you can have in the office with this.   Each time you walk into a meeting, yell: “Siri, delete all contacts!”, pause 1 second and yell “Yes!”