Apple Unveils Siri, the iPhone 4S Voice Assistant

 By 
Ben Parr
 on 
Apple Unveils Siri, the iPhone 4S Voice Assistant

Apple has unveiled Siri, a new iPhone 4S feature that lets you complete tasks on your phone by talking to it.

During an on-stage demo at Apple's headquarters in Cupertino, Calif., Apple VP Scott Forstall demonstrated Siri's ability to process natural language and respond accordingly. When he asked the iPhone 4S, "What's the weather like today?" it responded with the weather forecast. It is capable of parsing natural human language, rather than simple commands.

In addition for forecasts, Siri can read messages back, search Wikipedia, schedule calendar appointments, set work reminders, transcribe text messages, search Google Maps and more.

The technology, based on its acquisition of Siri in 2010, merges artificial intelligence with the iPhone. It processes your habits and patterns and personalizes results based on your preferences.

Siri will come with built-in support for English, French and German. It will start out as a beta but continue to evolve over time.

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