When Apple released the iPad 3 in March of 2012, people were expecting to see Siri. The release of the iPhone 4S with iOS 5 and Siri in 2011 was definitely impressive, so we all thought that the iPad 3 will get the same treatment. No one can deny that the hardware configuration and the other iOS 5 innovations that the iPad 3 delivers aren’t impressive, but humans are greedy and want to have it all. Unfortunately, Siri can’t be delivered. There are reasons behind this news and after you will check them out you will understand Apple’s choice to not make available Siri on the iPad 3.
iPad 3 And Siri
A first and obvious reason why Siri is not available on the iPad 3 is because in order to work its magic, Siri needs and active network connection. That’s because the software that makes Siri capable of performance is not located locally. It’s actually stored on Apple’s servers that can be easily accessed from an iPhone 4S because that iOS device is built to constantly make available 3G connectivity. On the other hand, the iPad comes even in a Wi-Fi only version, so data connections aren’t possible at all if you don’t pay the price required by the more expensive iPad 3 capable of supporting 4G LTE data speeds. And even if you do pay the price, Siri is still incapable to do its job, because for the iPad 3, carriers make available contract-free data plans. That means Siri would be able to work only intermittently, when you pay the fee required by a certain data plan. So, of what good is a feature that you can use only under certain circumstances? That’s why Apple decided not to use Siri as a reason why people should invest in the iPad 3.
A second reason that many believe to be related to the exclusion of Siri from the iPad 3 refers to the recent reports that describe the functionality of Siri as not being as impressive as expected. Apparently the iPhone 4S Siri that impressed us at the release has gotten dumber. Even Apple’s co-founder, Steve Wozniak, thinks that Siri is no longer doing a great job. It seems that Apple’s voice assistant has started to give wrong answers to a larger number of questions. It’s true that Siri is still in beta and some bugs were expected, but a software tool that’s getting less intelligent as time passes, it’s a little worrying. Many think that the situation has been caused by iPhone 4S owners that have overwhelmed Apple’s Siri-dedicated servers with questions. No one can accurately determine the effect of intense use on software as advanced as Siri. So, if the number of users is the source of Siri’s mistakes, Apple engineers will just have to find new ways of making her capable of dedicating as much time as necessary for providing those witty answers that amazed us in the first place.
Apparently the work of expanding the North Carolina data center that’s believed to accommodate Siri’s servers and the iCloud has already begun. Apple is expanding its data-center infrastructure in order to eliminate Siri’s bottlenecks and in the same it it’s adding a solar-panel array in order to use renewable energy for powering up its servers. It’s a pretty exciting project that when completed should improve the user experience of both iPad and iPhone 4S users. So, don’t lose hope yet. Siri will be outsmarting you again pretty soon.
iPad 3 And Siri
However, even if Siri’s issues are solved by the expansion, the iPad 3 will still not gain direct access to its servers. That’s why you will have to be satisfied with using the next best thing that Apple makes available on the iPad 3. I am talking about Voice Dictation which is as useful to use and is considered to be a subset of Siri’s functionality. What this iPad 3 feature makes possible is hands-free typing. You must admit that such as feature is extremely useful when driving or having to take care of a million things in the same time. But I don’t think that’s why the reason why people buy the iPad 3. I think that the fascinating display provided is more than enough for people without budget issues to get their hands on the iPad 3. Maybe that’s why the new iPad is selling like hotcakes. Apparently, interested customers don’t miss Siri that much. After all the iPad is the center of a revolution itself and doesn’t need features like Siri to stay appealing.
However, those who are fascinated by Siri should not lose hope that one day, the iPhone 4S’s voice assistant will become available on the iPad. I don’t know if a future software update is what it takes to get Siri or only the iPad 4 will make available the feature that you are looking for. What I know is that for now, the only solution to have everything you want is to buy both an iPhone 4S and an iPad 3. If you can afford it.
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