Music

5 burning musical questions with iPhone's "Siri"

by Sam Sutherland

If you’re an Apple devotee, you’re already close pals with Siri, the newest in creepy Apple-related technology. One of the major upgrades for the company’s recently-launched iPhone 4S, “Siri,” is a digital personal assistant, one that is capable of pulling up restaurant reviews, directions, and weather with simple voice commands. Ask your phone, “Do I need an umbrella today?” and a weird little computer voice will tell you if it’s going to rain in whatever city you’re in. It’s weird. You get the idea.

But what does Siri know about music? As it turns out, not much. Some time spent lobbing life’s great musical mysteries in Siri’s direction (Beatles or Stones? Why is Evan Dando such a jerk sometimes? Etc.) didn’t turn up much, but here are a few bon mots from our attempts to glean whatever info we could from Apple’s latest programming triumph / creepy thing.

Siri being cagey.

If Apple doesn’t know, who does?

There is no hope of ever understanding that song now.

Maybe Siri is deflecting?

Sounds guilty. Also, learn to spell, Siri.