I have just tested Siri on some routine questions that she used to fail on and now she gets it right. Good update. Much more conversational. She can answer follow up questions where she used to forget what we were talking about.
Siri has always been really good with sports and also making calls, texts and reminders. Where she still sucks is finding very specific information on the web. I always ask Siri first but usually end up using Google, or asking Siri to use Google. Recently she said she had no information on a particular subject yet displayed the exact answer I was looking for in the search query results. She should be able to at least read her own web search. I recently asked her for information about North American Song Birds and she said I didn't have any North American in my music collection.
Interestingly, I just asked her the same question and she gave me a list of website results. (To Siri: show me information about North American songbirds), worked like a charm. Might just be the context of the question. Siri does still struggle with context, which she shouldn't.
Interestingly, I just asked her the same question and she gave me a list of website results. (To Siri: show me information about North American songbirds), worked like a charm. Might just be the context of the question. Siri does still struggle with context, which she shouldn't.
Yep it works great now. The post you replied to was from a few months ago with old Siri.
Quote: "new smarts to sports, weather, photos, and more..."
Yet another demonstration that Apple thinks its typical user is an immature twit with nothing better to do than obsess over "sports, weather, photos."
It'd be nice if Apple would expend some effort to make their products useful to those of us who work for a living doing the hum-drum but necessary, you know things like a spell checker that's not worthless or the ability to move files between apps and devices without a lot of clumsy shuffling.
And yes, I know how Apple got this way. In the mid-nineties, what little market Apple had were:
1. So-called "creative professionals" like me.
2. People too technically illiterate to manage the complexities of Windows hardware. They liked Apple's "just works" mindset and didn't care that almost no business software ran on it because they apparently played and danced their lives away.
You see the efforts in market to either of those groups in Apple's ads. The company doesn't even seem to realize that any other sort of customer exists. The world, for Cupertino, consists of artists who don't have to labor much to create and trust-fund babies with lots of money unearned by actual labor.
But that was 20 years ago. Apple needs to realize that Windows doesn't own the work-a-day market like it once did. Apple needs to build products that get work done, and by that I don't mean silly stuff like a Siri that's more like a nanny for the clueless than a tool for people who work for a living.
People who, for instance, don't obsess over with their heart rate is every blasted second.
you sound very unhappy. I'm so sorry. is there anything we can do?
while I'm not interested in sports, my dad is. I am interested in photos. I use Siri to do useful things almost every day.
Apple is the biggest selling CE manufacturer. if you think it's all going to trust-funders then you're very much mistaken.
While it is nice that Siri has some cool new features, I would really like to see Apple put more effort in improving Siri for other languages. I am living in the Dutch speaking part of Belgium, and using Siri is a frustrating experience. Dutch Siri seldom understands the very basic commands like "go to ..." or "call ...". Switching Siri to English does not help, it understands the commands but not the names of cities, contacts, ...
Last week there was an article in Belgian news paper claiming that the new Apple TV was not launched in Belgium and the Netherlands because of the poor quality of the Dutch Siri, making it impossible to manage an Apple TV.
Very frustrating for the French speaking part of Belgium, because they are also deprived of the new Apple TV, knowing that it is available in France with a French Siri.
Google Now is years ahead in offering a trully global service.
Instead of useless bells and whistles Apple should concentrate on the more important features that Pebble has had since it was first launched years ago, e.g.: How about warning me when I leave my phone behind at the restaurant, etc.? The Pebble will nag you to get your attention when your phone is 30 feet away from you. Come on Apple!
Instead of useless bells and whistles Apple should concentrate on the more important features that Pebble has had since it was first launched years ago, e.g.: How about warning me when I leave my phone behind at the restaurant, etc.? The Pebble will nag you to get your attention when your phone is 30 feet away from you. Come on Apple!
Quote: "new smarts to sports, weather, photos, and more..."
Yet another demonstration that Apple thinks its typical user is an immature twit with nothing better to do than obsess over "sports, weather, photos."
It'd be nice if Apple would expend some effort to make their products useful to those of us who work for a living doing the hum-drum but necessary, you know things like a spell checker that's not worthless or the ability to move files between apps and devices without a lot of clumsy shuffling.
And yes, I know how Apple got this way. In the mid-nineties, what little market Apple had were:
1. So-called "creative professionals" like me.
2. People too technically illiterate to manage the complexities of Windows hardware. They liked Apple's "just works" mindset and didn't care that almost no business software ran on it because they apparently played and danced their lives away.
You see the efforts in market to either of those groups in Apple's ads. The company doesn't even seem to realize that any other sort of customer exists. The world, for Cupertino, consists of artists who don't have to labor much to create and trust-fund babies with lots of money unearned by actual labor.
But that was 20 years ago. Apple needs to realize that Windows doesn't own the work-a-day market like it once did. Apple needs to build products that get work done, and by that I don't mean silly stuff like a Siri that's more like a nanny for the clueless than a tool for people who work for a living.
People who, for instance, don't obsess over with their heart rate is every blasted second.
Instead of useless bells and whistles Apple should concentrate on the more important features that Pebble has had since it was first launched years ago, e.g.: How about warning me when I leave my phone behind at the restaurant, etc.? The Pebble will nag you to get your attention when your phone is 30 feet away from you. Come on Apple!
I agree that this would be a useful (optional, configurable) feature for the Apple Watch. If enabled, just a quick one-time notification (did you leave your iPhone?) would perhaps pay for the watch in many cases.
Not easy from a user experience perspective to get right though, as it will go off every time you intentionally leave your phone...and it would not go off if the iPhone and AW were on the same WiFi and still communicating. Perhaps a specific taptic sequence when leaving BT range, but set not to do so in your "well known" WiFi locations like home or work?
Comments
I have just tested Siri on some routine questions that she used to fail on and now she gets it right. Good update. Much more conversational. She can answer follow up questions where she used to forget what we were talking about.
Interestingly, I just asked her the same question and she gave me a list of website results. (To Siri: show me information about North American songbirds), worked like a charm. Might just be the context of the question. Siri does still struggle with context, which she shouldn't.
Yep it works great now. The post you replied to was from a few months ago with old Siri.
you sound very unhappy. I'm so sorry. is there anything we can do?
while I'm not interested in sports, my dad is. I am interested in photos. I use Siri to do useful things almost every day.
Apple is the biggest selling CE manufacturer. if you think it's all going to trust-funders then you're very much mistaken.
zombie post. I got fooled too. for some reason AI is running s bunch of old stories from the betas.
While it is nice that Siri has some cool new features, I would really like to see Apple put more effort in improving Siri for other languages. I am living in the Dutch speaking part of Belgium, and using Siri is a frustrating experience. Dutch Siri seldom understands the very basic commands like "go to ..." or "call ...". Switching Siri to English does not help, it understands the commands but not the names of cities, contacts, ...
Last week there was an article in Belgian news paper claiming that the new Apple TV was not launched in Belgium and the Netherlands because of the poor quality of the Dutch Siri, making it impossible to manage an Apple TV.
Very frustrating for the French speaking part of Belgium, because they are also deprived of the new Apple TV, knowing that it is available in France with a French Siri.
Google Now is years ahead in offering a trully global service.
Only if one has an Apple Watch, presumably.
Instead of useless bells and whistles Apple should concentrate on the more important features that Pebble has had since it was first launched years ago, e.g.: How about warning me when I leave my phone behind at the restaurant, etc.? The Pebble will nag you to get your attention when your phone is 30 feet away from you. Come on Apple!
I agree that this would be a useful (optional, configurable) feature for the Apple Watch. If enabled, just a quick one-time notification (did you leave your iPhone?) would perhaps pay for the watch in many cases.
Not easy from a user experience perspective to get right though, as it will go off every time you intentionally leave your phone...and it would not go off if the iPhone and AW were on the same WiFi and still communicating. Perhaps a specific taptic sequence when leaving BT range, but set not to do so in your "well known" WiFi locations like home or work?