The biggest innovation that came with Apple's iPhone 4S nearly two years ago was the invention of the Siri personal assistant. When it first launched it was essentially a gimmicky stocking stuffer. It had bugs, sluggish load times and a voice that's difficult to understand. The voice functionality of the feature was limited as well, only understanding English, French and German.
Apple didn't pretend that Siri was anything that it wasn't. In fact, when Siri was made available for all iPhones 4S and above in 2011 it still came with a "beta" tag. Since that time, Apple has been slowly improving the service. Apple has taught the personal assistant Japanese in early 2012 and several other languages in late 2012. Now on the eve of the iOS 7 launch on Sept. 18, Apple has finally removed the "beta" tag from its personal assistant application. According to 9To5Mac, Apple updated its Siri webpages to drop any and all references to the product being in its beta phase.
Previously the company's website read: "Siri is available in Beta only on iPhone 4S, iPhone 5, iPad with Retina display, iPad mini, and iPod touch (5th generation) and requires Internet access. Siri may not be available in all languages or in all areas, and features may vary by area. Cellular data charges may apply."
The site now reads: "Siri is available on iPhone 4s or later, iPad with Retina display, iPad mini, and iPod touch (5th generation) and requires Internet access. Siri may not be available in all languages or in all areas, and features may vary by area. Cellular data charges may apply."
The company also got rid of the Siri FAQs website. It appears the company has decided that Siri is finally finished enough to be considered a full-fledged Apple product, no longer a beta product. With iOS 7, Siri has been given a completely redesigned user-interface, a new functionality and all new voices, including a male voice. In addition, it will lose some of the sluggish processing that plagued the early version for so long.
iOS 7 will be available as a software download on Sept. 18 for iPhones 4 and above, iPads 2 and above and 5th generation iPod Touch.
