Siri and Phone Etiquette

Siri

Today's siliconvalley.com includes a story discussing phone etiquette and the use of virtual assistants. It's a good, brief story that touches on an everyday event for many people.

The story notes that many iPhone users use their Siri virtual assistant in public places. This behavior often becomes distracting, rude, and downright silly. I know, because I have shamelessly spoken with Siri in places and ways I would not do with a human being.

My excuse was that I wanted to leverage Siri's capabilities as a useful work tool. To that end, I entered appointments, searched for information, sent messages, more or less with little regard for what people nearby could hear.  After awhile, I got a bit self-conscious about the "conversation's" disruptive aspect. Now, Siri waits until I can escape into a non-public area.

The siliconvalley.com story notes that the "etiquette" for virtual assistant communication, in contrast with cellphone conversations between two real live people, has not yet been established. In the meantime, we'll have to somehow manage to pretend talking to a machine is as natural as talking into a mirror. As an assistant professor of journalism and communication noted in the siliconvalley.com article, "'It's not normal human behavior to have people having a conversation with a phone on the street.'"

Netflix, Hulu Viewers' Device, Programming Choices; Apple's TV Strategy

A recent Nielsen survey of Netflix and Hulu customers revealed some interesting consumer choices. The AP story, picked up by the San Jose Mercury News, found that "more Netflix users are watching video on the TVs rather than their computers," often using game box consoles as their connection.

Hulu clients skew heavily toward computer use. They also tend to watch TV programs. That contrasts with the Netflix crowd, which tends to prefer viewing movies. (The image shows Hulu's icon for its desktop application.)

Now, if Apple acquires Hulu, that act would imply a major Apple push into the television distribution market. A computer-driven audience would play into the Apple plan. TV also happens to play better on mobile devices, such as tablets and smartphones, including the iPhone. Apple's bete noire in this hypothetical strategy would be the cost of bandwidth, which would be controlled by the phone duopoly and cable providers such as Comcast (which happens to own NBC).

New Apple Patent Application Suggests Video Bootleg KO

Apple recently filed a patent application for its iPhone camera which includes some curious product impacts.

Most significantly, the filing includes information noting how an infrared sensor will be paired with the phone's camera. One practical result of this piggybacked gadgetry is that "interested parties" would be able to disable the camera. Among those "interested" would most likely include live performance producers, the motion picture industry, and transportation security officials.

One question that quickly arises is why Apple would put R&D efforts into the infrared sensor. It's not as if retail consumers have been clamoring for the device. How would Apple market this "upgrade"? And to whom?

For more details, the patentlyapple.com story about the Apple patent filing is a useful starting point.

The image shows an anti-piracy sign displayed at an American movie theater.

How Apple's App Store Really Emerged

A fascinating interview in the Mercury News reveals how Apple nearly blew the success of the iPhone.

Mercury News columnist Chris O'Brien interviewed Bob Borchers (photo), Apple's former senior director of worldwide product marketing for the iPhone. Borchers was also part of the original iPhone team, according to the article.

The critical choice, according to Borchers, was the distinction between limiting the iPhone to Web apps and expanding its reach to native apps. Apple, which by all accounts grudgingly admits to the genius of others, listened to the market, especially game developers. By going against its own personality, Apple was able to make the iPhone a breakthrough product.

The article is interesting, and it's good to see someone pop Apple's balloon of insufferable arrogance and make the firm a far more human, and consequently more interesting and approachable, enterprise.