[swombat]

That is the innovation, and I use the word innovation lightly as I'm sure the idea has been thought of in academic circles.

Just a quibble. Innovation is, according to the dictionary, the "introduction of new things or methods". This is quite different from invention, which is "an act or instance of creating or producing by exercise of the imagination, especially in art, music, etc".

Invention can be done in academic circles, but innovation needs someone to actually roll up their sleeves and introduce the damn thing - in this occurrence, introduce it to the vast, chaotic, challenging consumer electronics market.

Apple certainly takes no credit for inventing voice recognition, or any of the concepts used in Siri - in fact, Apple invents very little. However, they should get full credit on the innovation side. As an easy example, tablets were invented for decades before the iPad, but they were not effectively introduced to the consumer market until the iPad. That's innovation - turning ideas into realities - as opposed to invention - coming up with new ideas. Both are essential.