Google Launches Google Now for iPhoneApril 30, according to foreign media reports, Google launched the iPhone version of its voice assistant Google Now on Monday. It is a major service for smartphone users to obtain the latest weather and traffic forecasts, competing with Apple's personal digital assistant Siri.Last year, Google launched Google Now for Android devices. Starting this week, Google Now will become a feature in the new version of the Google search app for iPhones and iPads. Personal digital assistants like Apple's Siri and Google Now are playing an increasingly important role in smartphone applications, helping users find information on the Internet, manage their schedules, and handle travel plans.Market analysts believe that Apple's Siri, pre-installed on iPhones and iPads, poses an increasing threat to Google, the world's top search engine, as it can provide sports scores and nearby restaurant information, reducing people's use of Google's search engine.Johanna Wright, Google's vice president responsible for mobile search and assistant services, described Google Now as the next stage in the evolution of search, where users can get answers without typing queries.This technology leverages multiple online services from Google, from web searches to personal Gmail emails and Google Calendar entries, providing relevant information in real-time in pop-up windows, which Google calls card information. For example, Google Now can automatically remind travelers about upcoming trips and suggest the best time to head to the airport based on current traffic conditions.The Android version of Google Now can be launched directly from the home screen, allowing users to quickly access the pop-up information by clicking on the home screen of their phone. Unlike the Android version, the iOS version of Google Now requires the Google Search app to be launched first before it can be used.As users increasingly use mobile devices rather than PCs to access the Internet, smartphones have become a key battleground for Google and Apple. Last September, Apple replaced Google Maps, which was previously pre-installed on iPhones, with its own mapping service, but it faced heavy criticism due to numerous errors in its map service, prompting Apple CEO Tim Cook to publicly apologize.Ironically, most Android phones currently cannot use Google Now because they still run on older versions of the operating system that do not support Google Now. In contrast, Google Now can run on the iOS operating system, Android's biggest competitor.Currently, Google Now only runs on Android phones with the Jelly Bean operating system. According to Google's own statistics, only 25% of Android phones run on the Jelly Bean operating system, while approximately 39% of Android phones still run on the Gingerbread operating system, which has been available for about two and a half years.The reason so many Android phones still run outdated versions of the operating system is because manufacturers face difficulties upgrading their devices to the latest version of the Android operating system. Most manufacturers have made significant modifications to the standard version of the Android operating system using their own skins and services. Afterwards, manufacturers must provide those software adjustments to carriers for further testing before performing wireless upgrades on the phone's operating system. This process sometimes takes several months.