I don't really understand the hand-wringing about the voice assistants. It doesn't actually provide additional function. It simply provides additional input methods that may or may not be convenient given the specific circumstances and use scenarios.
Thanks but this forum was about Apple products. How is this relevant?
Do we need to live in an Apple bubble? In a general sense it’s good to know what’s going on outside of your own circle. Maybe the grass really is greener on the other side of the fence. And knowing where “the competition” is heading isn’t bad either.
Although, some people are satisfied with the status quo, so...
Ya, I like to see what's going on with Google and Amazon and others. I have a Google Mini and a Amazon Dot that I got for the $40 each to play around with. I use Siri a lot more, especially on my Apple Watch. I think it's more useful then these other devices that are locked into a room by a power cord. I ask questions all the time. But I also do a lot of Home Control with Homekit.
I like to see what Google Home and Alexa is doing and capable of, and Home Siri can gain a number of these useful features. If you ask Siri something and you get bad results. You then tend to just not use it. Siri does work better if you use it more often. Siri holds it's own pretty good in a number of area's, and then some it just outright fails. I want Siri to get a lot lot better. So I'll play around with Siri, Google and Alexa just asking them all the same questions. Once in a while I'll play with Cortana also on my Windows 10 Desktop. Cortana hasn't had the best responses for me either.
The Simple Fact is Siri is getting Left behind in a number of area's. BUT Alexa is also over rated. What I hate about Alexa is it's to wordy. Doing Basic stuff like play a song or set a timer, not a big deal. But Home Control stuff and other Skills.
For example, my Ecobee 4 which has Alexa Built into it. I could set timer and play music but when I asked it to set a temp it was CLULELESS about the Ecobee. Then I remembered the whole Amazon SKILL thing. So I had to Activate the Ecobee Plus Skill. But to control the Ecobee using Alexa you have to do things the right way. So you have to ASK or TELL Alexa and to what device. So I have to say something like "Alexa, Tell Ecobee to set the temp to 68". Yet for Siri or Even Google as I can do both the same way, I just go, "Hey Siri, set the temp to 68" and Siri or Google is smart enough to know I'm talking about the Ecobee 4 and I don't have to ASk or Tell Siri. That's what I mean by more Wordy.
I have also have a couple 2" blinds I automated using kits from MySmartBlinds. Well they finally came out with a Bridge so You can control by voice also, and not just with the app. So it supports Alexa now, with Google shortly and SmartThings next Month, but Siri now seems to be missing. With has pissed me off a bit. But same thing. "Alexa, Tell MySmartThings to Open Master Bedroom" and my blind opens in there. If I don't say what to open, it'll ask me and then I can name what I want, or say ALL and they'll all open.
So Amazon has a TON of skills. But if you look, most are rated pretty low at around 2 stars. It's over rated in area's but can do things Siri can't. Have you seen this latest Ability from Amazon. The Ability to easily create your own skills at https://blueprints.amazon.com/
Where's Apple? It's good to look at the world around you and not be so focused on only Apple. I just got AirPods. I plan to upgrade my iPhone this year and I got a new 12.9" iPad Pro late last year. But I've also never owned a Mac. I'm a long time Windows user since Windows 95, and my Current Windows 10 Desktop I built. I'm not a fan of Android for a number of reasons. I buy what I like. Siri is falling more and more behind. There's no cheaper Siri Speaker option other than a $350 Speaker which I sure don't need. I can just AirPlay to my Yamaha Surround sound system with far better speakers. Apple needs to kick it into gear. What are they spending all this R&D money on? What are all those people who work for Apple doing? Apple seems like yet another Huge, bloated company that is stuck at a snails pace.
The Airpods are great and I wished I got them sooner, but it's a tiny thing.
I don't really understand the hand-wringing about the voice assistants. It doesn't actually provide additional function. It simply provides additional input methods that may or may not be convenient given the specific circumstances and use scenarios.
Same could be said of the GUI or the mouse.
Voice is a natural input method in many circumstances, especially when you don't need a visual response, e.g. home automation, answers to quick questions, or setting reminders. Think of it as having a servant around the house that doesn't get sick of you asking things.
As someone who uses Siri daily on my iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch multiple times daily (very occasionally on my Mac), I have to agree with ihatescreennames -- about the only thing they could do to Siri that I'd notice would be use ML/AI to do a better job parsing alternative ways of asking for things and accents, or (and this would let me get rid of the Google Assistant app, since it is literally the ONLY thing I use it for) do as well as Google when I want to know the phone number of a business and when they are going to close today.
I would say that I use Siri for directions, messaging, weather, reminders, and phone numbers nearly exclusively -- I might occasionally ask "what movies are playing near me" or "where's a sushi place near me" or something like that, and that works fine, but seriously that's about it. There's lots of stuff Siri can do that I don't even have need for/never think to ask about. I realise I'm just one person, but I've always seen the voice assistants as being functional for very practical things, and thus far the odds of me getting an un-helpful answer (barring the two exceptions I mentioned) are very low in my use case.
Of course for the benefit of others (and possibly Future Me), I hope Apple continues to improve it as they already have done, but unless they spell out the specifics of those improvements (something they've only rarely done in the past), I'll likely never know. And I'll continue to be a satisfied Siri (and on occasion Google Assistant) user.
Total fracking bullshit, free and open like Android... yeah right.. They're about to get their ass kicked by the EU and sued by the like of Samsung, that's the reason for their god damn epiphany.
We have all had friends that take to many of things you tell them in confidence and use that to try and get us to buy something from another friend. Sure as a one off thing it can be great help but when every conversation feels like they are mining you for their next sales connection you dump them fairly quickly.
With Google that friend is in your pocket. AI assistants are dead in the water till someone can give confidence about trustworthiness.
So much of what I’ve been hoping to see in iOS dynamic interactivity and app unbundling is being presented by Google for Android.
Waiting to see Apple’s version. Hopefully soonish.
Some of the things Google announces today were reallly impressive. I hope Apple really surprises everyone and wows at WWDC.
I hope so too. Siri straight needs help.
It’s not good when you see pro Apple writers/analysts wishing Apple was doing things Google is doing. Ben Bajarin has been reliably pro-Apple in his analysis over the years but I see him becoming increasingly more pessimistic, especially around Siri & AI. Ben isn’t someone who writes for clicks. He’s not a concern troll. It really frustrates me that Apple allowed others to leapfrog in this space. I’ll bet a lot more people would use Siri if it was better and more useful.
If it matters that much — so much as to concernanalysts — then surely this would have had a negative impact on sales. It would upset normals. Yet...still the single best selling handset on the market. And while bloggers, pundits, and techies are upset, the mass market of normals doesn’t seem to be. What does this tell us?
I don't really understand the hand-wringing about the voice assistants. It doesn't actually provide additional function. It simply provides additional input methods that may or may not be convenient given the specific circumstances and use scenarios.
Bingo. It’s just the latest way for concern trolls to gnash their teeth and say, “But but but!”
Thanks but this forum was about Apple products. How is this relevant?
Do we need to live in an Apple bubble? In a general sense it’s good to know what’s going on outside of your own circle. Maybe the grass really is greener on the other side of the fence. And knowing where “the competition” is heading isn’t bad either.
Although, some people are satisfied with the status quo, so...
I'm not a fan of Android for a number of reasons. I buy what I like. Siri is falling more and more behind. There's no cheaper Siri Speaker option other than a $350 Speaker which I sure don't need. I can just AirPlay to my Yamaha Surround sound system with far better speakers. Apple needs to kick it into gear. What are they spending all this R&D money on? What are all those people who work for Apple doing? Apple seems like yet another Huge, bloated company that is stuck at a snails pace.
You misunderstand the HomePod product. It is not a digital assistant speaker nor is it a replacement for a home theater.
Youre also making the common “Because I don’t see it they must not be doing anything!” mistake. Go visit the Apple job boards if you want a glimmer of insight into what they’re working on. I reviewed hundreds of software jobs.
I don't really understand the hand-wringing about the voice assistants. It doesn't actually provide additional function. It simply provides additional input methods that may or may not be convenient given the specific circumstances and use scenarios.
Same could be said of the GUI or the mouse.
Voice is a natural input method in many circumstances, especially when you don't need a visual response, e.g. home automation, answers to quick questions, or setting reminders. Think of it as having a servant around the house that doesn't get sick of you asking things.
Whicn they all do just fine - reminders, home automation, texts, math, conversion. It’s the rest of the panic that is silly.
So much of what I’ve been hoping to see in iOS dynamic interactivity and app unbundling is being presented by Google for Android.
Waiting to see Apple’s version. Hopefully soonish.
Some of the things Google announces today were reallly impressive. I hope Apple really surprises everyone and wows at WWDC.
I hope so too. Siri straight needs help.
It’s not good when you see pro Apple writers/analysts wishing Apple was doing things Google is doing. Ben Bajarin has been reliably pro-Apple in his analysis over the years but I see him becoming increasingly more pessimistic, especially around Siri & AI. Ben isn’t someone who writes for clicks. He’s not a concern troll. It really frustrates me that Apple allowed others to leapfrog in this space. I’ll bet a lot more people would use Siri if it was better and more useful.
If it matters that much — so much as to concernanalysts — then surely this would have had a negative impact on sales. It would upset normals. Yet...still the single best selling handset on the market. And while bloggers, pundits, and techies are upset, the mass market of normals doesn’t seem to be. What does this tell us?
I thought Apple was all about giving customers what they didn’t know they wanted/needed? Now it’s OK that Siri sucks and Apple is behind in this space because they’re still selling a ton of iPhones? Btw, Rene Ritchie isn’t a concern analyst. He’s basically an Apple fanboy and he was calling Google out for showing off things he wishes Apple was doing. I hope all this lights a fire under Apple’s ass. I want to be wowed by Apple again. Not here’s some mediocre TV shows we bankrolled because with slowing iPhone growth and longer upgrade cycles we need to find new ways to monetize our existing users to produce revenue/profit growth.
We can all thank the time well spent guy. He’s had a huge impact over many decisions Google has made here (even if they didn’t acknowledged him) and Apple have digital health features coming too. You can’t deny his influence here. With a little effort and care his focus on this area may contribute more toward helping society and the planet than any human in recent times.
Comments
Ya, I like to see what's going on with Google and Amazon and others. I have a Google Mini and a Amazon Dot that I got for the $40 each to play around with. I use Siri a lot more, especially on my Apple Watch. I think it's more useful then these other devices that are locked into a room by a power cord. I ask questions all the time. But I also do a lot of Home Control with Homekit.
I like to see what Google Home and Alexa is doing and capable of, and Home Siri can gain a number of these useful features. If you ask Siri something and you get bad results. You then tend to just not use it. Siri does work better if you use it more often. Siri holds it's own pretty good in a number of area's, and then some it just outright fails. I want Siri to get a lot lot better. So I'll play around with Siri, Google and Alexa just asking them all the same questions. Once in a while I'll play with Cortana also on my Windows 10 Desktop. Cortana hasn't had the best responses for me either.
The Simple Fact is Siri is getting Left behind in a number of area's. BUT Alexa is also over rated. What I hate about Alexa is it's to wordy. Doing Basic stuff like play a song or set a timer, not a big deal. But Home Control stuff and other Skills.
For example, my Ecobee 4 which has Alexa Built into it. I could set timer and play music but when I asked it to set a temp it was CLULELESS about the Ecobee. Then I remembered the whole Amazon SKILL thing. So I had to Activate the Ecobee Plus Skill. But to control the Ecobee using Alexa you have to do things the right way. So you have to ASK or TELL Alexa and to what device. So I have to say something like "Alexa, Tell Ecobee to set the temp to 68". Yet for Siri or Even Google as I can do both the same way, I just go, "Hey Siri, set the temp to 68" and Siri or Google is smart enough to know I'm talking about the Ecobee 4 and I don't have to ASk or Tell Siri. That's what I mean by more Wordy.
I have also have a couple 2" blinds I automated using kits from MySmartBlinds. Well they finally came out with a Bridge so You can control by voice also, and not just with the app. So it supports Alexa now, with Google shortly and SmartThings next Month, but Siri now seems to be missing. With has pissed me off a bit. But same thing. "Alexa, Tell MySmartThings to Open Master Bedroom" and my blind opens in there. If I don't say what to open, it'll ask me and then I can name what I want, or say ALL and they'll all open.
So Amazon has a TON of skills. But if you look, most are rated pretty low at around 2 stars. It's over rated in area's but can do things Siri can't. Have you seen this latest Ability from Amazon. The Ability to easily create your own skills at https://blueprints.amazon.com/
Where's Apple? It's good to look at the world around you and not be so focused on only Apple. I just got AirPods. I plan to upgrade my iPhone this year and I got a new 12.9" iPad Pro late last year. But I've also never owned a Mac. I'm a long time Windows user since Windows 95, and my Current Windows 10 Desktop I built. I'm not a fan of Android for a number of reasons. I buy what I like. Siri is falling more and more behind. There's no cheaper Siri Speaker option other than a $350 Speaker which I sure don't need. I can just AirPlay to my Yamaha Surround sound system with far better speakers. Apple needs to kick it into gear. What are they spending all this R&D money on? What are all those people who work for Apple doing? Apple seems like yet another Huge, bloated company that is stuck at a snails pace.
The Airpods are great and I wished I got them sooner, but it's a tiny thing.
Voice is a natural input method in many circumstances, especially when you don't need a visual response, e.g. home automation, answers to quick questions, or setting reminders. Think of it as having a servant around the house that doesn't get sick of you asking things.
I would say that I use Siri for directions, messaging, weather, reminders, and phone numbers nearly exclusively -- I might occasionally ask "what movies are playing near me" or "where's a sushi place near me" or something like that, and that works fine, but seriously that's about it. There's lots of stuff Siri can do that I don't even have need for/never think to ask about. I realise I'm just one person, but I've always seen the voice assistants as being functional for very practical things, and thus far the odds of me getting an un-helpful answer (barring the two exceptions I mentioned) are very low in my use case.
Of course for the benefit of others (and possibly Future Me), I hope Apple continues to improve it as they already have done, but unless they spell out the specifics of those improvements (something they've only rarely done in the past), I'll likely never know. And I'll continue to be a satisfied Siri (and on occasion Google Assistant) user.
With Google that friend is in your pocket.
AI assistants are dead in the water till someone can give confidence about trustworthiness.
You misunderstand the HomePod product. It is not a digital assistant speaker nor is it a replacement for a home theater.
Youre also making the common “Because I don’t see it they must not be doing anything!” mistake. Go visit the Apple job boards if you want a glimmer of insight into what they’re working on. I reviewed hundreds of software jobs.
Whicn they all do just fine - reminders, home automation, texts, math, conversion. It’s the rest of the panic that is silly.
That’s all they CAN start it on before things start getting fragmented.