Street test measures Siri comprehension at 83%, accuracy at 62%

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  • Reply 141 of 143
    onhkaonhka Posts: 1,025member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Gatorguy View Post


    I've never seen a TV ad for Google Maps. When did you see one?



     


    Can't say that I have either. I was referring to JeffDM' comment,


     


    Quote:



    Quote:


    The fact that Siri is beta isn't even in the small print on the ads that I saw.






    which from my learned experience having spent most of my working life, in marketing, advertising and education, has nothing to do with TV ads. If anything, Disclosure would be a better choice.


     




     


    Quote:




    Originally Posted by JeffDM View Post



    The TV ads for Siri. I have no problem with Apple promoting beta software or services (this is the second reiteration of that point that I've made), but in order to argue "it's beta" as a defense, I think they could easily do a better job telling people up front that it's beta.


     


    You have to be kidding. First of all most wouldn't know what it meant or even cared that it's beta.


     


    And if they were to, imaging the effort and costs to explain it.


     


    Quote:


    Beta

    Beta (named after the second letter of the Greek alphabet) is the software development phase following alpha. It generally begins when the software is feature complete. Software in the beta phase will generally have many more bugs in it than completed software, as well as speed/performance issues. The focus of beta testing is reducing impacts to users, often incorporating usability testing. The process of delivering a beta version to the users is called beta release and this is typically the first time that the software is available outside of the organization that developed it.


    The users of a beta version are called beta testers. They are usually customers or prospective customers of the organization that develops the software, willing to test the software without charge, often receiving the final software free of charge or for a reduced price. Beta version software is often useful for demonstrations and previews within an organization and to prospective customers. Some developers refer to this stage as a previewprototypetechnical preview (TP), or early access. Some software is kept inperpetual beta—where new features and functionality are continually added to the software without establishing a firm "final" release.




     


    Perhaps you should ask the same thing of Google.


     


    Google Maps was in beta for 6 years. And now, Google Maps with Navigation. More telling, Googles's GMail, which is virtually in perpetual beta.


     


    Interesting that the two Google Chrome TV ads highlight GMail. The current ad is all about GMail via Google Chrome. Much like Apple's iPhone 4S/ Siri ad. Neither has a beta logo or explanation in site. 




     


    To a better understanding.


     


    Quote:


    Originally Posted by missingxtension View Post



    why does the accent thing always comes up in this articles about siri.

    It is obviously not an issue if it is rated b+ on comprehension, it is actually a short coming of the software. other software has a training in setup that usually gets around any accent issues. after that they are usually fairly accurate.

    the main problem was due to siri understanding what was being asked, then after looking it up online getting the wrong answer.

    Steve Woz had the same criticism..

    I consider this argument to be racist when people actually don't know how the person speaks and alludes it to be the problem.

    people all over the country have different accents from New York to Boston Texas and Oregon.



     


    Perhaps a little reading is in order


     


    Quote:


    Does Siri work out of the box, or do I have to teach it?


    Siri works right out of the box, without any work on your part. And the more you use Siri, the better it will understand you. It does this by learning about your accent and other characteristics of your voice. Siri uses voice recognition algorithms to categorize your voice into one of the dialects or accents it understands. As more people use Siri and it’s exposed to more variations of a language, its overall recognition of dialects and accents will continue to improve, and Siri will work even better.


    Siri also uses information from your contacts, music library, calendars, and reminders to better understand what you say. So it responds more accurately when you ask to make a phone call, play music, or create an appointment or reminder.






     


    Like I have iterated previously, calling Siri, Beta, is not illegal, morally wrong or misleading. In fact, by all definitions, it can never be final. Just like the human brain, it needs to continue to be fed or it dies. Unless one is dumber than a door knob.


     


    But understanding that it would be permanent or perpetual beta


     


    Quote:



    Beta


    Some software is kept in perpetual beta—where new features and functionality are continually added to the software without establishing a firm "final" release.




     


    Much like Wikipedia has been described from an academic librarian, e.g.,


     


    Quote:


    Wikipedia is always a "permanent beta", always under constant revision.



     


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    In a world where content and the software that houses it is constantly changing, a publication is never "done" and thus many effective publications exist (and indeed thrive) in a permanent state of beta.



     


    Or Harold Jarche's Life in perpetuel Beta


     


    Quote:


    Perpetual beta is my attitude toward learning – I’ll never get to the final release and my learning will never stabilise. I’ve also realised that clients with a similar attitude are much easier to work with than those who believe that we will reach some future point where everything stabilises and we don’t need to learn or do anything else. I believe that this point is called death.


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  • Reply 142 of 143
    jlanddjlandd Posts: 873member

    Quote:


     


    Originally Posted by Onhka View Post


     


     


    Like I have iterated previously, calling Siri, Beta, is not illegal, morally wrong or misleading. In fact, by all definitions, it can never be final. Just like the human brain, it needs to continue to be fed or it dies. Unless one is dumber than a door knob.


     


    But understanding that it would be permanent or perpetual beta


     



     


     


    But a product always improving thanks to owner feedback doesn't define it as beta, else the Nest thermostat would be, or could call itself that, and they don't.   It's if the hardware/firmware/software is considered unfinished and not ready for release, not if it continues to improve or reach for better performance as the years go by.   There's hardly any technology, hardware or software, that that wouldn't qualify as beta with that kind of definition, and there's plenty of "learning" technologies that aren't sold as beta based on the fact that they will get better.  But now that Google and Apple have leaned on it it will enter the mainstream release strategy, no doubt, and half of what we use will be same as it ever was but labeled beta, and they'll be kicking themselves for not doing it ten years ago.


     


     


     


    Quote:


    Originally Posted by Onhka View Post


     


    You have to be kidding. First of all most wouldn't know what it meant or even cared that it's beta.


     


    And if they were to, imaging the effort and costs to explain it.


     



     


    Not that this applies here, but when a company needs to rectify something, that the efforts and costs are staggering can be secondary to the fact that something needed rectifying.   

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  • Reply 143 of 143
    sr2012sr2012 Posts: 896member
    Since you mentioned Steve Wozniak, here is what he said:
    'What are the five largest lakes in California?' and it came up one, two, three four five -- shocked me," Wozniak said, according to the Albany (N.Y.) Times Union. "And then I said, 'What are the prime numbers greater than 87?' and it came up starting with 91. That's pretty incredible."
    "I'd say, 'What are the five largest lakes in California?' and it would have all these lakefront properties selling," Wozniak said. "And I'd say 'What are the prime numbers greater than 87?' and [Siri would answer], like, 'prime rib.'" ...
    Siri has never been an advertising platform like Google Search. If Siri provided such answers then such is the result of Siri integration with Google Search. Incidentally, upon asking Siri these same questions, the answers I received were correct and concise.
    Siri now does far, far more as a key component of iOS 6 "Sundance" than as an independent app developed by SRI.

    I've noticed Siri gradually improving. The lakes and prime numbers question works fine. "Show me John Cusack" movies works.

    I've still got some irritation because I use UK English recognition as that is what my accent matches with the most closely.

    But this Siri thing, particularly with Mandarin and Cantonese recognition, is here to stay, and will only get better.

    My only critique is Steve would have waited a year or so, it feels like Tim Cook is gunning things a little.
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