Just One More Thing (Again)

iPhone Xs

“The new iPhone is revolutionary,” for those who virtually attended any of the late Steve Jobs (1955-2011) Apple Event products launch via the web there was always an air of exhilaration and anticipation speculating what new gadget could possibly be next! Personally – I never missed one; I would eagerly jump out of bed early the next morning to discover what innovative products Apple was to release. What better ways to stay abreast of technology innovations than watching Steve Jobs perform, the Edison of our time.

I’ll admit, I was a skeptical late adopter of the iPhone. My iPod Touch did everything and more that a gadget could provide (I thought). It was during my visit to South Africa in February 2011 that I pre-ordered my first iPhone 4, via Apples Online Store, from my hotel, with the anticipation of the Verizon release. Everyone had said, “Wait until the iPhone 5, it will do so much more.” I couldn’t wait to get home and open the box, it was like Christmas all over again at six years old – so exciting! Wow, that was over eight-years ago. We were so smitten with all the features, this Christmas, 2018 we upgraded to iPhone Xs. Happy New Year!

Indeed, version ten will be better. Extended battery life, a dual-camera system, edge-to-edge OLED Retina display, Face-ID, but the iPhone for me is much more than a phone. It is my personal assistant, GPS navigator, music player, my on demand movie viewer, my portable university, my text messaging tool, my digital library, my e-mail correspondence tool, my portable internet radio, any major league baseball game on demand. In full, it’s my entertainment, learning, and communication center.

The launch of the iPhone Xs did not disappoint me, why because what everyone seems to forget is when a new version is launched Apple provides a free software upgrade to the operating system for your current phone. So, it’s like getting a new phone!

. . . And what can I say about Siri, except thank you! Have you ever received a message at the most inconvenient time? In my experience, It happens daily. No need to text message just ask Siri to do it for you. Want to convert kilometers to miles, how about the current humidity level, or time, or your current location. I’ve asked Siri what seems rather vague, “Are the Cubs playing today?” With the response, “The Cubs are not playing today. Their next preseason game is against the Brewers on February 23, 2019 at 12:05 pm.” Well, today is January 1, 2019 after all.

It’s rather frightening really, what this device can do. Siri uses information from the computational knowledge engine, WolframAlpha, your contacts, music library, calendars, and reminders to better understand what you say. So it responds more accurately when you ask to make a phone call, play music, or create an appointment or reminder. If you have Siri and haven't taken the time to use it simply ask, “What can you do?” An extensive list of options will appear with suggested ways to ask. Remember, Siri learns your natural speech, and it asks you questions if it needs more information to complete a task. Yes, I’m a fan, can you tell?

“Oh, just one more thing,” as Steve Jobs would have said had he presented the latest release of Apple’s product innovations. “Now your iPhone comes with a smarter personal digital assistant – it is the most powerful iPhone yet!”

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