Apple Watch For Seniors For Dummies

Chapter 8

Meeting Siri

IN THIS CHAPTER

Learn what Siri is

Set up Siri

Understand what Siri can do

Try out useful tasks and commands

I’m a Star Trek fan from way back. Whether you duped it out from earlier comments I made in this book or another, or whether you’re hearing this from me for the first time, it’s a fact that I’m more of a “Space, the final frontier” kind of guy than a “Long ago in a galaxy far, far away” person. I certainly have enjoyed both sci-fi properties over the years, but the theremin from the original Star Trek theme still sings to me, if you will.

I remember watching Spock and Scotty talk to the computer, which spoke back — intelligently, no less! — carrying out their commands immediately and accurately. And the fact that I can now do something similar by talking to my watch or my phone is a bit trippy, in the best sense possible. Apple’s introduction of Siri into their technological ecosystem about a decade ago is another of those marvels Trek is famous for having predicted, along with tablet computers (iPads, anyone?), universal translators (Apple’s Translate ...