IBM extends Watson cognitive capabilities to MobileFirst for iOS apps
As part of a continued partnership with Apple, IBM on Tuesday announced an extension of the MobileFirst for iOS program that integrates Watson cognitive computing technology to bring natural language processing, deep data analytics and more to iOS 10.

Debuted at the World of Watson event in Las Vegas, Watson's advanced APIs can now be incorporated into both MobileFirst for iOS apps and custom-built business software crafted by IBM on a case-by-case basis.
IBM worked to optimize Natural Language Processing, Watson Conversation and other in-house APIs to work seamlessly with the new iOS 10 speech framework, the company said. With Watson, users can interact with apps using conversational language, much like they would a virtual assistant.
For example, service technicians are able to speak to the Find & Fix app to request a schedule modification. The app consequently notifies dispatch and automatically adjusts remaining jobs listed for the day. Additional voice prompts allow techs to ask for suggestions relating to specific problems, adding another degree of hands-free interaction.
"This is a digital assistant for the business -- one that creates the next-generation professional experience tailored for enterprise processes," said Mahmoud Naghshineh, IBM's general manager, Apple partnership.
Alongside speech recognition, Watson's cognitive capabilities allow apps to better parse complicated data sets, and are able to "to understand, reason and learn based on deep data analytics."
Examples provided include the Passenger + app, which flight attendants can use to gain insight into a traveler's personality. Diving into opt-in data histories, Watson is able to surface relevant information like a customer's favorite snacks or beverages, a penchant for priority seating or the need for specialized services.
Other examples include the retail centric Sales Assist app, which leans on Watson to gather data from customer databases and product forums to deliver information on a buyer's unique tastes. Financial advisors might also tap Watson's learning capabilities to conduct targeted market research and analysis to furnish investors with bespoke recommendations.
IBM notes Watson mines data only from opt-in databases, an important measure in protecting customer information.
Since Watson is cloud-based, the features unveiled today, as well as upcoming functions, are easily integrated into existing MobileFirst for iOS apps.
Apple and IBM partnered on the MobileFirst initiative last July in an effort to create business solutions built around Apple's iOS platform. Under partnerships terms, IBM handles hardware leasing, device management, security, analytics, mobile integration and on-site repairs, while Apple aids in software development and customer support through AppleCare.
Earlier this week, the companies announced IBM Watson Element for Educators, their first MobileFirst collaboration for education.

Debuted at the World of Watson event in Las Vegas, Watson's advanced APIs can now be incorporated into both MobileFirst for iOS apps and custom-built business software crafted by IBM on a case-by-case basis.
IBM worked to optimize Natural Language Processing, Watson Conversation and other in-house APIs to work seamlessly with the new iOS 10 speech framework, the company said. With Watson, users can interact with apps using conversational language, much like they would a virtual assistant.
For example, service technicians are able to speak to the Find & Fix app to request a schedule modification. The app consequently notifies dispatch and automatically adjusts remaining jobs listed for the day. Additional voice prompts allow techs to ask for suggestions relating to specific problems, adding another degree of hands-free interaction.
"This is a digital assistant for the business -- one that creates the next-generation professional experience tailored for enterprise processes," said Mahmoud Naghshineh, IBM's general manager, Apple partnership.
Alongside speech recognition, Watson's cognitive capabilities allow apps to better parse complicated data sets, and are able to "to understand, reason and learn based on deep data analytics."
Examples provided include the Passenger + app, which flight attendants can use to gain insight into a traveler's personality. Diving into opt-in data histories, Watson is able to surface relevant information like a customer's favorite snacks or beverages, a penchant for priority seating or the need for specialized services.
Other examples include the retail centric Sales Assist app, which leans on Watson to gather data from customer databases and product forums to deliver information on a buyer's unique tastes. Financial advisors might also tap Watson's learning capabilities to conduct targeted market research and analysis to furnish investors with bespoke recommendations.
IBM notes Watson mines data only from opt-in databases, an important measure in protecting customer information.
Since Watson is cloud-based, the features unveiled today, as well as upcoming functions, are easily integrated into existing MobileFirst for iOS apps.
Apple and IBM partnered on the MobileFirst initiative last July in an effort to create business solutions built around Apple's iOS platform. Under partnerships terms, IBM handles hardware leasing, device management, security, analytics, mobile integration and on-site repairs, while Apple aids in software development and customer support through AppleCare.
Earlier this week, the companies announced IBM Watson Element for Educators, their first MobileFirst collaboration for education.
Comments
1. It doesn't work well in a general sense - just in narrow problem domains.
If Watson was as good in a general purpose sense, as IBM's marketing claims it is, why didn't they use Watson to fix IBM's own (tanking) business ? They've had Watson for years, and IBM still keeps going downhill - modulo a little financial engineering here and there.
2. It might not be architected to have any privacy at a consumer level - IBM has basically zero consumer exposure these days having sold everything consumer off to Lenovo, - they would be trying to spool up consumer outcomes from scratch, and it doesn't make business sense to them (as they don't have a consumer business)
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/10/25/at-t-is-spying-on-americans-for-profit.html
- IBM's customers are not consumers -- they're other businesses
- Complexity -- there's a lot of code needed just to write an app to effectively use Watson -- with a lot of complex glue bits involved
- Versioning nightmare of packaging a multitude of open-source components -- each with many dependencies on other open-source components
- Bleeding edge beta versions of many key components: Swift 3.0, beta Web Server, beta Package Manager, rewritten IBM APIs to IBM services, etc.
- Developer knowledge/experience required to make everything work together
Lets see if I can illustrate:- IBM has a beta tool called IBM Cloud Tools for Swift -- ICT (pronounced Ice Tea). In theory:
- IBM provides complete packages for ICT
- These packages are mainly written in Swift 3.0 beta
- They are downloaded to a Mac and can be run locally in Xcode 8 or later
- They include both front and back ends -- clients and servers
- Conceptually both the client and server can be entirely deployed, modified, run and tested locally -- then the server components are deployed to IBMs Cloud -- rinse and repeat
- It doesn't work that way yet -- the deployment to the IBM Cloud doesn't really use the local server component -- it's still beta
To illustrate, here's an ICT package that uses Watson to make restaurant recommendations:Here's what's involved getting it running:
The server-side compiles and runs fine, fine locally -- here's the client-side app compile:
30 errors, most of which are caused by the inability to perform all the non-Xcode steps required (above) -- due mainly to version mismatch.
BTW, Watson has its own voice-recognition/analysis/response and does Not use Siri!
Yet, especially since his death, Apple has become the consumer version of IBM. People like to think of IBM as a tech company -- just as they like to think of Apple as a tech company. Yet, neither is...
Both are customer driven organizations. Their primary focus is their customer. For them, technology and tech products are a means to that end. Instead, both have earned their status as the gold standard in their field by meeting the needs of their customers -- and it takes far more than a glitzy new product to do that. Anybody can develop a new product -- a fancy new automated buggy whip -- but it takes an exceptional organization to meet the needs of their customers. Both Apple and IBM know how to do that. Maybe that's why Jobs hated IBM so much: Sibling rivalry.