Many, upon news of the iPhone 4S release, were disheartened to hear that the newest Apple device did not look so new at first glance. Though the hardware is still only comparable to that of the high-end smartphone market and nothing too revolutionary, the iPhone 4S' software end is quite the contrary.
Siri was introduced as Apple's new 'virtual intelligent assistant' providing iPhone 4S users a new method of interaction with their phone and its apps using voice commands. Texts, emails, calendar dates, and directions are amongst the basic commands one can alter or create by simply commandingf with Siri. Apple turns up the dial with Siri as your commands are tied in with location-based recommendations and searches that highlight upon keywords in your voice search.
The iPhone 4S release and Apple's preview of Siri spell potential trouble for Google, according to some media outlets and analysts. Google currently has Voice Actions for Android that allows you to take basic voice control with your phone by allowing you to say simple strings to get you cut-and-dry results. Voice commands such as 'navigate to X' will open up Google Maps to navigate you to X on your HTC, Samsung, or otherwise.
Though the iPhone 4S release will not immediately include Siri, the personal assistant promised by Apple may not only one-up Voice Actions for Android, but even Google's entire suite of search engines. In Apple's official commercial, questions such as 'How is the traffic in this area?' will prompt Siri to pull up a map with GPS data tracking the traffic. From there, you'll be able to ask Siri to notify someone that you are running late via text and change the calendar engagement with yet another command.
Siri may pose a bit of a threat to Google by altering the way one searches for things on their phone, and even allowing for convenient searches by making use of natural voice recognition. However, Google's slew of services such as Places, which works in tandem with Maps, Plus, and Offers, 'allows businesses to pay for higher placement [and] was born almost entirely out of watching how and what users search for on their mobile devices,' according to Ars Technica. 'Mobile ads attached to those queries are exploding right now—arguably moreso than just regular browser ads—and while Google doesn't live or die by that revenue alone, it's certainly not something to be taken lightly.'
As the iPhone 4S release looms, time will tell as to whether or not Google will suffer from Siri's amazing abilities.
