We’ve got used to chatting away to Siri, Apple’s personal digital assistant
over the past couple of years, with our voice-activated friend helping with everything from local searchesand navigation to setting alarms and even telling jokes. It’s around the home that Siri could be even more useful though, and according to code spotted in iOS 7.1, she could be about to make a welcome appearance on the Apple TV. See how you like that, Cortana!
over the past couple of years, with our voice-activated friend helping with everything from local searchesand navigation to setting alarms and even telling jokes. It’s around the home that Siri could be even more useful though, and according to code spotted in iOS 7.1, she could be about to make a welcome appearance on the Apple TV. See how you like that, Cortana!
We certainly love the idea of home entertainment that doesn’t need remote controls; no more batteries to desperately search for when the old ones finally give up the ghost, no more searching down the back of the sofa for a remote your other half has left in a completely different room – what’s not to like about the introduction of Siri on the Apple TV?
It would certainly help to further differentiate Siri from Microsoft’s newly introduced Cortanadigital assistant, for a start. Siri has already proved incredibly effective on the Apple iPhone, iPad and iPod touch, answering commands, questions and everyday chitchat as soon as you tap a button and start your sentence with: “Siri…”
on the Apple iPhone, iPad and iPod touch, answering commands, questions and everyday chitchat as soon as you tap a button and start your sentence with: “Siri…”
She could be even more helpful with a home-based device though – after all, with the Apple TV plugged in 24/7, having ‘always listening’ functionality wouldn’t be a problem forbattery life (unlike the iPhone
), so Apple could even say goodbye to the remote controlor hardware buttons forever.
(unlike the iPhone), so Apple could even say goodbye to the remote controlor hardware buttons forever.
Imagine no longer needing to tap through pages of menus, instead being able to chat to Siri as you would on your iPhone: “Siri, when is the Gadget Show on again? Siri, make sure I never miss another episode of the Gadget Show!” Sounds ideal to us.
Show on again? Siri, make sure I never miss another episode of the Gadget Show!” Sounds ideal to us.
Code spotted in the iOS 7.1 SDK suggests it could be about to happen in the not too distantfuture, too. One eagle-eyed Twitter user – @bp_unicorn – spotted reference to Siri, known as Assistant, within the code, along with reference to a family of devices. While the inclusion of the iPhone and iPod was expected, a mystery ‘3’ appears alongside, which is likely to represent the Apple TV.
and iPod was expected, a mystery ‘3’ appears alongside, which is likely to represent the Apple TV.
Whether the microphone for chatting to Siri would be built into the next-gen Apple TV hardware itself, or even the remote control for the Apple TV, with button-based backup just in case remains to be seen, but watch this space for more!
to Siri would be built into the next-gen Apple TV hardware itself, or even the remote control for the Apple TV, with button-based backup just in case remains to be seen, but watch this space for more!
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