It was revealed today that Apple Inc.’s founder and late CEO Steve Jobs was initially against calling the company’s personal assistant Siri, though he changed his mind later. The technology behind Siri was purchased from a Norwegian called Dag Kittlaus who had applied the name initially. The word is Norwegian and means “a beautiful women who will lead you in to victory”.
Steve Job’s starting posiiton was in opposition to the moniker but he obviously gained a liking for it and the product was eventually given that title. The personal assistant debuted last year when it was included in the iPhone 4S as a service.
The Siri technology relies on research in artificial intelligence from many fields and is fully integrated into iOS on the iPhone 4S. It links with a number of other applications and has found much use in web search and map searches as well as being used as a voice control mechanism for the phone’s other abilities. The distinctive female voice of the service is fast becoming a pop culture touchstone, almost every network sitcom having joked about the device since its release. The device has been quite well received and it is becoming an integral part of the iPhone’s features.
Job’s ambivalence toward new products and new design features isn’t anything new. The founder was often known for his unusual method of dealing with people who would bring him ideas. His initial refusals could be interpreted as an aspect of his perfectionism. He wasn’t happy with a good service he wanted it to be the best service. With Siri’s evolution and the learning behind her increasing all the time with millions of requests being made of the service it looks like he may have gotten just that with Siri.
