Siri, the virtual personal assistant, is now a sports fan. Apple’s voice-activated knowledge navigator (Apple’s term, not ours) is receiving an update in iOS 6 that allows it to report sports scores in real time, inform a user on when their favorite team is playing next, and can even report on individual player stats.
Recently, Apple demoed the service, asking Siri on stage who was taller: Kobe or LeBron? Siri, of course, came back with a correct answer (for those keeping score at home, it’s LeBron).
It can also access league standings, telling the user who’s winning and who’s losing, including recent trends and team stats, which is useful to fantasy league payers. The app even has the ability to use its GPS to find which local channel is playing any game, something those of us who travel will love.
Siri can access scores and stats for most soccer leagues, NHL hockey, Major League Baseball, as well as both college and pro football and basketball. We doubt, though, it can explain why Ichiro thought it would be good to leave Seattle.
The update is free with iOS 6 on any iPhone 4s, and ships with the new iPhone 5, which will arrive later this month.
This was a guest post written by Matt Hickey. Matt is a DC-based photojournalist, technophile, futurist, and consultant with a dense background in emerging tech, social trends, and digital culture anomalies. He has been published in the New York Times and Esquire, has been featured on CBS News, and has worked as a staff writer for TechCrunch, Gizmodo, and CNET. He currently freelances for several publications including The Daily and Sport Techie.
(Photo credit: Apple, Inc.)