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Topic: Hardware

'Siri, will you ever come to my iPhone 4?'

Summary: If you want Siri, you gotta pay for her.

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

By for Hardware 2.0 |

Lots of speculation over the weekend that Apple will bring the Siri voice command and personal assistant tool to the iPhone 4.

I'm here to tell you that it ain't gonna happen. Not now. Not next month. Not next year. Not ever.

Here's the deal. Apple is in the business of selling products (not hardware, not software ... products). The way the company does this is to bake exciting features into the new hardware that people using the old hardware will lust after.

Siri is one such feature. It's technology that Apple paid over $200 million for in order to be able to sell more stuff. And judging by the way the iPhone 4S is selling, it's working.

With that in mind, tell me why Apple would take this technology and make it available on older handsets?

Doesn't make any sense, does it? Which is why it's not going to happen. Apple's not going to port exciting technology like this onto a $99 handset when it can use it to sell more expensive hardware. Sure, Apple's probably tested this technology on the iPhone 4. Why wouldn't it? After all, the old Siri app worked fine on hardware prior to the iPhone 4S. But testing it on the iPhone 4 is a very different thing to releasing it for the iPhone 4. One makes good business sense, the other doesn't.

Now, I know that it seems a little sleazy to do this, especially as the iPhone 4 is capable of running Siri, but that's the way it is. If Apple did backport this technology into the iPhone 4, then that would set a precedent and people/pundits would start to expect this of all new software features.

It's not going to happen. Stop holding your breath. If you want Siri, you gotta pay for her.

Topics: Hardware, Apple, iPhone, Mobility, Smartphones

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  • RE: 'Siri, will you ever come to my iPhone 4?'

    Who needs it anyways, when there are alternatives. There is NOTHING innovative, other than their marketing efforts.

    How about vlingo? It's cross platform!
    unredeemed
    Reply Vote

    • RE: 'Siri, will you ever come to my iPhone 4?'

      @unredeemed
      If you have an older iphone Vlingo is a fine alternative, but it is not as good as Siri at determining intent. Plus its not as conversational and definitely not as funny.
      Tigertank
      Reply Vote

    • There is nothing now that compares to Siri anywhere close

      @unredeemed
      dderss
      Reply Vote

  • What I don't understand

    is why people are okay with this behavior from Apple while they slam Microsoft for not porting software to an old OS due to technical limitations. I'm not saying I have a problem with Apple keeping Siri a 4S exclusive because I think it's fine. But IE9 and DX10/11 weren't ported to XP because of technical limitations in the OS yet there was a huge outcry. Yet people are completely okay with this from Apple. It doesn't make sense.
    LiquidLearner
    Reply Vote

    • RE: 'Siri, will you ever come to my iPhone 4?'

      @LiquidLearner I don't think they are "Okay" with it. But I agree with the point, there is no reason Microsoft should back-port IE9 and DX10/11 to Windows XP. I think everyone seems to have a weird sense of entitlement. Why everyone expects every new feature made available on their old product I don't know.

      My iPhone 4 does more after installing iOS 5, it doesn't have Siri - and sure it looks like a great feature, but I can't reasonably expect it can I? I've known which way the wind was blowing for XP for a long time, and I'm not running it anymore.
      jeremychappell
      Reply Vote

    • RE: 'Siri, will you ever come to my iPhone 4?'

      @LiquidLearner
      Does anyone expect car manufacturers to add on features found in this model year to older models?

      Nothing entitles us to have feature from new phones added to older phones. If one wants that feature then pony-up for that new phone.
      BubbaJones_
      Reply Vote

    • Did you read the post? It stated iPhone 4 users are disappointed, so not ..

      @LiquidLearner: ... everybody is "completely OK".
      dderss
      Reply Vote

  • RE: 'Siri, will you ever come to my iPhone 4?'

    Apple could bring SIRI to the iphone 4 and charge a nominal fee for the app...
    makzak
    Reply Vote

    • RE: 'Siri, will you ever come to my iPhone 4?'

      @makzak <br><br>But Apple is not in the software business.

      The purpose of Siri is to sell more high margin product, not to make people want to buy an app.
      Playdrv4me
      Reply Vote

      • RE: 'Siri, will you ever come to my iPhone 4?'

        @Playdrv4me
        Not in the software business? What about Garage Band?
        cartman00000001
        Reply Vote

  • RE: 'Siri, will you ever come to my iPhone 4?'

    Welcome to apples double standards. Apple have marketed very well to create a fake friendly face to the mainstream, with the mass numbers of neanderthals they can do anything. (Not a flame!)

    On another note, in this particular case i don't see a wrong, it makes perfect sense to not port it to the iphone4.. it is 1 of the main selling points for their new model.
    Frenz9
    Reply Vote

  • RE: 'Siri, will you ever come to my iPhone 4?'

    The jesus phone can do no wrong!
    unredeemed
    Reply Vote

  • RE: 'Siri, will you ever come to my iPhone 4?'

    When the iPhone 5 or 6 or whatever the next iteration will be, there's no reason not to put Siri out on older hardware. With the new hardware, it won't be the selling point anymore, the hardware will be. Besides, the 'budget' phone in that cycle will now have Siri as well. It would make more sense to open it up to the older hardware because it would get the software in more people's hands, and essentially start to make it a required thing to have with a smart phone. With Android behind in this department, it would be another step in the direction of differentiating their product from Google's. Besides, there is actual precedent for this kind of move. When the iPhone 4 came out, they added ringtones and alert tones that weren't available to the older hardware. With iOS 5, those same tones are now available on the older hardware. Although the precedent is weak, it is there, and the reason they did it initially was to differentiate between the 4 and the 3gs.
    rkanzig
    Reply Vote

    • RE: 'Siri, will you ever come to my iPhone 4?'

      @rkanzig But to be honest, the iphone4 had many more selling points than the small stop gap 4s. By the time the iPhone 5-6 comes out, it will be years from now and i doubt anyone reading this article will be using an iPhone 4 making the point mute.
      Frenz9
      Reply Vote

      • RE: 'Siri, will you ever come to my iPhone 4?'

        @Frenz9 "it will be years from now and i doubt anyone reading this article will be using an iPhone 4 making the point mute."

        My iPhone 4 is tied to a two year contract, guaranteeing I'll still have it years from now.

        And the word you're looking for is "moot" not "mute."
        CobraA1
        Reply Vote

  • RE: 'Siri, will you ever come to my iPhone 4?'

    Siri is beta... they've already had problems and outages. It is very likely it will eventually come to older phones and to iPads... when they think they can handle the huge onslaught of data that will encompass, and they limit to the new phone right now to help keep its use at lower levels as well as help sales.
    doh123
    Reply Vote

  • How do you expect Apple to sell iPhone 4S

    Since ages what Apples policy is to expire outdated products very quickly like in 4 years or so, hence I dont think iPhone 4 would be ever getting Siri as Apple wants to move ahead selling iPhone 4S
    till then enjoy jokes siri says and relax
    http://thetechnologycafe.com/siri-and-its-jokesmore-shit-and-funny-stuff-siri-says/
    samzbest@...
    Reply Vote

    • RE: 'Siri, will you ever come to my iPhone 4?'

      @samzbest@... How is Apple's policy any different from Nokia's? As I see it, Nokia and Motorola phones are designed from the ground up to expire (physically, and in software capability) after two years. At least my iPhones from two years ago are still useful in roles other than primary phone. I use one as a remote control, and another as an iPod Touch. The cheap plasticky Moto and Nokia phones I've had were essentially useless lumps of scratched plastic once their contracts ran out.
      ssaha
      Reply Vote

  • RE: 'Siri, will you ever come to my iPhone 4?'

    Adrian,

    I'll wait and see. After all, why allow the 3Gs phones to update to iOS5? I suspect that the old machines will be rolled in over time. After all, if you hook them early, they'll come back for more!
    CanadianTrooper
    Reply Vote

  • RE: 'Siri, will you ever come to my iPhone 4?'

    I'd be willing to pay for the Siri Feature.
    However, like mentionned, apple are product-oriented, and not app-oriented. Apple bring new products with cool features, older models don't have the feature. They always worked that way, and always will IMO.

    I'm not gonna buy a 4s. My 4 is not yet designed for the surplus or e-waste. Gonna wait for the 5.
    crueldog
    Reply Vote
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