Why Siri is Cool and How the iPhone can Make You Cool

Siri is the wildly popular voice recognition app for the new iPhone 4S. But like so many things that Apple does, it's not new. There has been voice recognition, on smartphones even, for years before Siri. But the difference is that Apple has polished the idea to a gleaming shine and shared it as a key feature. Something that has been a forgotten benefit on other phones is taking the lead on the iPhone. Siri isn't cool because it's unique, it's cool because it's well executed and well promoted by a company that is known for offering cool stuff.

The iPhone can make you cool, but owning one isn't the first step on that path. I don't care what phone you have. I don't choose to use an iPhone, but that's not really the point. It's the principle of the iPhone that needs to be grasped. Apple and the late Steve Jobs took ideas that were already in existence and brought them together into a device that was scrupulously tested and polished. It looks good and it performs well. But when the iPhone came out it didn't offer any apps. Not one. They didn't add that until they knew they could do it well.

Look around and see what already exists. Put things together in new ways. Polish ideas until they shine.