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Speech recognition wasn’t a new prospect when Siri was revealed by Apple last year. But with the rapid proliferation of the iPhone 4S, its easy to forget about all the past attempts to bring talking computers into our lives.
Take a look back at some of the devices put to market in this video, as well as some lovely mustache’d fellows from the 80′s and 90′s. The clips come from the PBS show Computer Chronicles, which aired in the US from 1984-2002.
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“Speech recognition wasn’t a new prospect when Siri was revealed by Apple last year.”
WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT!!!!!!!!
Next you’ll be telling us Apple didn’t invent video calling with Facetime.
#thisisheresy
/sarc
You just beat me to this Darrell!
‘….it’s easy to forget about all the past attempts….”
This is typical of all the other things that Apple miraculously reinvented:
Tablets
Music players
track pads
the internet
GUI
Mouse
I know I’m opening the door wide open to all the “but Apple did it better…” bollocks but that’s not the point. The world existed before and lots of us can remember it.
This kind of blinkered shite reminds me of the brilliant line by Vince Noir – along the lines of the Human League having invented music – and everything before that was just warming up!
Is he talking about Oakey/Ware/Marsh Human League or Oakey/Wright/ etc version?
I think the song he was playing on his radio cassette was ‘Don’t You Want Me?’ which would suggest the latter, however since the character Vince is a cool dude, he was probably referring to the former.
Found it
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bKwQ_zeRwEs
Steve Jobs personally invented all of the items you listed.
Which IS interesting since I swear I can remember them from before too… huh.
Don’t forget “the wheel” which is a blatant copy of “the click-wheel” from the original iPod.
But they did invent the phone and the tablet! Anyone who denies that is an Apple hater. Fact!
Indeed – Burn the Heretics
My memory, like my eyes and other parts of me, isn’t what it used to be – but I’m convinced I had a pocket-able device I could hear voices on years and years ago…
You used to hear voices – so you aren’t just a heretic, you’re a mad heretic.
2+2=5!