iPhone 5 Release Date: Apple Tests Siri for Older iPhones?
A source close to Apple has reported that the consumer electronics pioneer has been trying out its Siri voice-recognition software on other devices, specifically the iPhone 4S.
Jailbreak Nation says that we could see a software update that allows Siri to be ported to other devices, including the 4S predecessor, the iPhone 4.
Apple reportedly gave a few select employees in the giant company a rare chance to run Siri on its older phones too. According to the source, Apple has developed a type of software that allows Siri to be integrated into the older software of the iPhone 4, and other Apple gadgets too.
Because Apple is still in the testing stages of this alleged software, there is the chance that the project could be discontinued. Siri has already experienced outages and problems concerning its relationship to Apple’s servers, and that by itself could prove as a barrier to allowing others to take control of voice-coordination program.
In addition, Siri was sold as the major selling point of the iPhone 4S. Largely because of that software, the phone has and continues to sell millions of units. This information also makes the claim that Apple will give Siri to other Apple consumers questionable, because it would most likely result in a drop in sales of the newest handset.
Still, there have been a variety of attempts by hackers to get Siri onto the iPhone 4, although only one has been publicly successful.
On the technology blog 9to5Mac, a video is shown of someone who has cracked the code to Apple’s servers, allowing the Siri software to communicate with Apple’s system without being an iPhone 4S.
In the video, Apple’s claims that only the iPhone 4S is capable of using Siri are definitely negated, as the program runs just as smoothly and with all the functionality on the iPhone 4.
However, because of the vast effort involved to bypass Apple’s very secure servers, there is no solution to the Siri query that is available for mass consumption.
It is yet to be known if Siri can be brought to non-cellular devices, like the iPad or iPod Touch.