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Does new iPad Siri snub suggest Siri is a failure?

The new iPad doesn't feature voice-controlled personal assistant Siri. Does that mean Siri is a failure?

Richard Trenholm Former Movie and TV Senior Editor
Richard Trenholm was CNET's film and TV editor, covering the big screen, small screen and streaming. A member of the Film Critic's Circle, he's covered technology and culture from London's tech scene to Europe's refugee camps to the Sundance film festival.
Expertise Films, TV, Movies, Television, Technology
Richard Trenholm
2 min read

Siri seems to be the hardest word for the new iPad. Apple's latest tablet doesn't feature the much-trumpeted voice-controlled personal assistant currently found in the iPhone 4S. The question is, does this mean Siri is a failure?

The new iPad includes a voice dictation feature, but there's no place for Siri. Siri lets you talk to your phone, understanding what you're asking to offer you more sophisticated help than voice commands have previously offered.

Sure, Siri has only appeared on one phone and has only been around for six months or so. But Siri hasn't lived up to its top billing, especially here in the UK. Perhaps I'm just bitter, but I'm not impressed by forking out several hundred quid for a phone with a headline feature that's almost completely hobbled in our country, as location features still don't work in the UK.

The absence of Siri from the new iPad suggests it's been a disappointment to Apple too. I understand that Apple wants to only offer Siri on the 4S to distinguish it from previous iPhone models, but that wouldn't be an issue with Siri showing up on the new iPad.

On the other hand, Siri is most useful on the iPhone, because the small screen isn't always conducive to typing. Typing on the larger iPad screen is much less of a chore.

More likely though, it's related to the fact that Siri works by connecting to Apple's servers over 3G. That's fine for the iPhone, which only comes with 3G, but the iPad comes either with or without 3G. That means some models would have full-fat Siri, but others wouldn't.

Industry expert Francisco Jeronimo says the omissison of Siri is "disappointing". Including Siri "makes sense commercially", but the new iPad "still has lots of features to attract users to upgrade, and attract new buyers. Android tablets are going to have a tough year!"

On the subject of Android, Google certainly thinks voice control is sticking around, and is planning a voice-activated Google Assistant for future versions of Android.

To see how Siri shapes up against an Android rival, hit play on the video below to see which is hired -- and which is fired...

Siri isn't the only thing missing from the new iPad, although it's the most surprising omission. We never really expected a 3D screen, but Apple made such a big deal about Siri on the iPhone 4S that we're surprised it didn't make the cut for the new tablet. Here's our look at the other features we didn't get

Do you think Siri is a failure, or is it a work in progress with loads of potential? And do you need Siri on the iPad? Tell me your thoughts in the comments or on our Facebook page.