Sterne Agee analyst Shaw Wu has put out a note to investors suggesting that sales records set by the new iPhone 4S are in part because of the popular new Siri voice-driven assistant feature.
Wu writes:
Despite global macroeconomic headwinds, Apple continues to defy conventional wisdom with a higher-end product mix…talking to industry sources, what’s driving the 4S is better than expected reception of its new Siri software.
The report comes by way of AppleInsiderAppleInsider, who have provided their own comments on the matter:
Many pundits and some initial reviews of the iPhone 4S failed to see the attraction of Siri, hoping instead to jump on the bandwagon of criticism focusing on the “disappointment” that the latest iPhone wouldn’t be named “iPhone 5.”
Some have confused Siri’s functions with simple voice recognition features included in many devices. But Siri has proven to be much more useful to iPhone 4S users. As a voice assistant, it’s believed Apple can expand Siri’s abilities to work with various other apps on the phone, even eventually allowing interaction with third-party apps.
Apple still considers the Siri technology to be in beta.
