Here's how to think about Siri: it's a second user interface that's better than touch for many of the most commonly-used, tap-heavy features of iOS.
I need to remember to call my mom when I get home. Perfect use for iOS 5's new Reminders app, right? But to use Reminders for this, here are the steps today:
Press the Home button, swipe to unlock.
Navigate to the Reminders app icon (may take a press of the Home button and/or a few swipes), tap it.
Tap "+" to add a new entry.
Type "call mom <return>". [note that this step practically requires using two hands]
Tap the just-created item.
Tap "Remind Me".
Switch "At a Location" to "On".
Tap location, choose "Home". Tap the back button.
Tap "When I Arrive".
Tap "Done", "Done".
Look back up from my phone that I've been staring at for the last 30 seconds.
Or, with Siri:
Hold down the Home button for a couple of seconds.
Say "Remind me to call my mom when I get home."
The Siri workflow is hugely easier (and safer) when driving, true, but that's almost incidental - it's simpler and "lighter" than touch even when you're sitting on your couch with your feet up.
Not to mention it doesn't need to impede on your current activity. Currently, if you're doing some work in an app, you can either close the app, create the reminder, go back to your app and try to get your brain back into the mindset of using that app. OR, you tell yourself that you'll create the reminder when you've finished completing the process you're doing in the current app (in which case you might forget to create the reminder altogether). I think Siri will help a lot in performing actions in the mobile/tablet space where multitasking is just not as simple as the desktop.
I always wished I had the android style "stack" of applications on my iphone for just this reason: short one-off tasks. But I also knew apple would never do it. This seems to be the solution they are going to push.
I need to remember to call my mom when I get home. Perfect use for iOS 5's new Reminders app, right? But to use Reminders for this, here are the steps today:
Or, with Siri: The Siri workflow is hugely easier (and safer) when driving, true, but that's almost incidental - it's simpler and "lighter" than touch even when you're sitting on your couch with your feet up.