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Are you talking to me? Are you talking to me? I’m sorry Travis, I don’t understand. Would you like me to search the web for a video of Martin Scorsese talking to a telephone?
America’s greatest living film director is having a busy day and it’s up to Siri to help him out. In Apple’s new ad for the iPhone 4S, the sassy robo-butler has to rearrange Marty’s wardrobe meeting, found out where Rick (Yorn?) is and help out his cabbie with a traffic update.
Following in the barefoot footsteps of kooky quirky Zooey Deschanel, Scorsese is Siri’s newest (and so far, oldest) celebrity chum. The ads show off Siri’s voice recognition chops and a range of handy features — some of which will finally reach the UK with the iPhone’s next update, iOS 6.
Siri has been hamstrung in Britain by a lack of local data — it can’t currently do the traffic thing it does for Scorsese — but that’s being solved by a tie-up with Yelp. That means if you ask it where the nearest pub is, your pocket assistant will at last be able to point you to the boozer. Local sport results and cinema listings should be ready to go when the update arrives in October too.
I’m slightly surprised to see the diminutive director take time out from the three movie projects he has on the boil to schill for a smart phone. Surely a filmmaker whose career box office tops $900m doesn’t need the cash?
Away from flogging blowers, Scorsese’s next movies are Jesuits-in-Japan thriller Silence, corporate corruption fable The Wolf of Wall Street and blue-eyed biopic Sinatra. Not bad for a guy who turns 70 this year — Siri must be keeping him organised.
At least it’s a little more dignified than Justin Hawkins’ turn in Samsung’s Superbowl ad for the Galaxy Note.
Update 25 July: A funny remix of Marty’s ad has appeared. Fast work, AppJudgment!
