You have a crush on a girl, and you have big plans for your future together. You’re ready to make your move… Then someone else catches her eye, wins her heart, and takes her away to fame and fortune. Welcome to Verizon’s world.
Before Apple swooped in to purchase Siri, U.S. carrier Verizon was working on a deal that would make the intelligent voice-controlled assistant exclusive to Android devices on its network.
The details of Verizon’s tale of lost love are revealed in a look at the history of Siri. The article, published this week by the Huffington Post, details the history of Apple popular, but often maligned virtual personal assistant.
The article reveals that that Verizon had actually signed a deal with Siri in the fall of 2009 — just months before Apple bought the company.
The deal was set to make Siri a built-in app for all Android handsets running on Verizon’s network, starting in 2010.
Even though the carrier had big hopes for its future with Siri, Apple grabbed Siri and kept her all to themselves. The acquisition by Apple brought Verizon’s deal to a halt.
Apparently, there are unreleased commercials by Verizon showing off Siri as an Android feature.
Apple’s purchase of Siri became public knowledge in April 2010, and the assistant debuted in late 2011 as an included feature of the iPhone 4S.
