“Siri’s voice does sound more natural in iOS 11, and this is most definitely a good thing,” John Gruber writes for Daring Fireball.
“It’s the voice assistant equivalent to getting a better UI font or retina graphics for a visual UI,” Gruber writes. “But: if given a choice between a Siri that sounds better but works the same, or a Siri that sounds the same but works better, I don’t know anyone who wouldn’t choose the latter.”
“I think the rigid, convoluted syntax required by Alexa is maddening. It’s like speaking a command line, not talking. But even so, Siri, as it stands today, is at best a halfway product,” Gruber writes. “The whole category is garbage, Siri included. And frankly, it just doesn’t feel like Apple has made as much progress in six years as they should have. Something went wrong in Siri’s development, and it wasn’t the voice quality.”
MacDailyNews Take: The problem was/is Eddy Cue. As we’re not beholden to Apple in any way, we give absolutely zero fscks about plainly stating it yet again.
Getting Steve Jobs his coffee in an agreeable manner doesn’t translate to getting the signed contracts that are required to reinvent television or to shepherding a personal assistant from gimmick to useful artificially intelligent user interface. That much is painfully obvious (to anyone not named Tim Cook).
Eddy CueEddy Cue should have never been given something as important as Siri in the first place.
It’s quite possible that without Steve Jobs’ help, Eddy Cue couldn’t get ink in a stationery store. — MacDailyNews, November 5, 2015
One more time: Which Apple VP is in charge of Apple TV among other chronically glitch-prone services that are uniformly saddled with Microsoftian UIs?
Therein Apple’s problem lies.
A jovial, fun-loving nature wrapped in unbuttoned shirts is no substitute for execution, quality, taste, and signed contracts, Tim.
And, furthermore, Tim Cook needs to know, if he doesn’t already, that Steve Jobs would have never released Apple TV 4 in the half-assed state in which it was excreted onto the market. In fact, he would have placed that awful, amateurish, SHIT Siri Remote right where it belongs, where its “designer” (college intern?) would require a lengthy visit to his/her proctologist for removal.
Eddy Cue. Can’t get the deals done. Can’t recognize blatantly bad TV from the pilot, much less at the pitch stage. Puts TV content into “Apple Music.” Needs Tim Cook to hire people who can actually do his job (first Jimmy Iovine, now Erlicht and Van Amburg). Inexplicably continues to get paid tens of millions per year. Boy, the photos Cue possesses must be doozies!
Apple’s so-called TV ‘strategy’ continues to be an embarrassing joke because it’s run by an embarrassing joke. — MacDailyNews, June 30, 2017
Lastly, as we wrote earlier today, “Now that Siri’s out from under Eddy Cue and into the capable hands of Craig Federighi, expect to see a much improved Siri with greater and more routine capability gains going forward!”
Yup, you guessed it: We’re not fans of Eddy Cue’s “work.”
As anyone who’s a regular on here knows by now, I’m not a fan of Siri. I COULD be if it were worth a shit but the sad fact is it’s a poorly executed joke and appears to be getting even worse.
“But even so, Siri, as it stands today, is at best a halfway product,” Gruber writes. “The whole category is garbage, Siri included. And frankly, it just doesn’t feel like Apple has made as much progress in six years as they should have. Something went wrong in Siri’s development, and it wasn’t the voice quality.”
Ya know… I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how it DOES seem worse. There are things it used to understand that it just does not understand anymore. For example, I have many people with direct lines to their offices. I label those lines “Office Direct.’ I used to be able to say “Call Joe Smith, office direct,” and it would do it. Now it just replies, there is no office direct for Joe Smith.
I’m also seeing mounting failures in continuity as well as WiFi calling. I was going to wait for iOS 11, but the glitches are starting to really annoy me, so I may wipe my phone this weekend, install iOS 10.3.3 clean and start over.
The inconsistencies between iOS Siri and macOS Siri are also quite annoying.
I listened to the samples. I like the iOS 10 version better. No question the iOS 11 version is smoother, but it is also higher pitched and sort of perky. iOS 10 Siri sounds more serious and business like.
Eddy may be a fun-loving guy but he needs to produce.
I was not pleased with his antics at the basketball game. I know these guys need a life outside the company, but with so much on the line in so many areas for Apple it seemed childish for an Apple VP to even be at the game, especially at court side and then acting up the way he did. It was unbecoming.
On the other hand, if he had been kicking butt in the various department’s he was responsible for then I’d say, “Good for Eddy. He deserves to be at the basketball game acting up.” But Eddy hasn’t been kicking butt and therefore should be in the office 7 days a week making it all work, or telling the CEO that he can’t do it all and needs help/replacements.
I’m assuming he doesn’t do either, i.e., work 7 days a week or tell Cook he needs help.
We need smart, hard working VPs with a good eye for products. It’s asking a lot of any man or woman, but that’s why they are getting paid the big bucks, right?
Cook has a lot on his shoulders, obviously, but he needs a stronger, smarter Eddy, either that or a new Eddy/Edith.
AI/speech is not easy, but if any company should be getting it right it should be Apple — they have the resources, the smarts and the technical wherewithal to do almost anything they want. They should be the clear leader in this area. It’s galling to think the johnny-come-latelies are even seen as competitors.
Someone has been asleep at the switch. SIRI should RULE.
I suppose I should give it a try now that its supposed to be better. But its been probably a year since I even tried it.
Since I am kind of busy, will wait for a time when results don’t matter, so it might be awhile.
A.I. still = Artificial Idiocy.
Needed: The code equivalent of Aricept, or Sesame Street, or kindergarten, or Romper Room [ancient history reference].
As anyone who’s a regular on here knows by now, I’m not a fan of Siri. I COULD be if it were worth a shit but the sad fact is it’s a poorly executed joke and appears to be getting even worse.
“But even so, Siri, as it stands today, is at best a halfway product,” Gruber writes. “The whole category is garbage, Siri included. And frankly, it just doesn’t feel like Apple has made as much progress in six years as they should have. Something went wrong in Siri’s development, and it wasn’t the voice quality.”
Boom!!!!!!!!!!
It’s not getting worse. It may not meet your expectations, but Siri in iOS 11 is better than Siri in iOS 10 and vastly better than Siri in iOS8/9.
“The whole category is garbage, Siri included.”
Yeh. Life is SO terrible in western countries. The stuff we have to put up with!!!!!!!!!!!
I’d suggest an attitude of being absofuckinlutely blown away at what your “phone” can do is a more appropriate attitude.
Ya know… I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how it DOES seem worse. There are things it used to understand that it just does not understand anymore. For example, I have many people with direct lines to their offices. I label those lines “Office Direct.’ I used to be able to say “Call Joe Smith, office direct,” and it would do it. Now it just replies, there is no office direct for Joe Smith.
I’m also seeing mounting failures in continuity as well as WiFi calling. I was going to wait for iOS 11, but the glitches are starting to really annoy me, so I may wipe my phone this weekend, install iOS 10.3.3 clean and start over.
The inconsistencies between iOS Siri and macOS Siri are also quite annoying.
I listened to the samples. I like the iOS 10 version better. No question the iOS 11 version is smoother, but it is also higher pitched and sort of perky. iOS 10 Siri sounds more serious and business like.
Eddy Clueless
Eddie “Fuh” Cue
Eddy may be a fun-loving guy but he needs to produce.
I was not pleased with his antics at the basketball game. I know these guys need a life outside the company, but with so much on the line in so many areas for Apple it seemed childish for an Apple VP to even be at the game, especially at court side and then acting up the way he did. It was unbecoming.
On the other hand, if he had been kicking butt in the various department’s he was responsible for then I’d say, “Good for Eddy. He deserves to be at the basketball game acting up.” But Eddy hasn’t been kicking butt and therefore should be in the office 7 days a week making it all work, or telling the CEO that he can’t do it all and needs help/replacements.
I’m assuming he doesn’t do either, i.e., work 7 days a week or tell Cook he needs help.
We need smart, hard working VPs with a good eye for products. It’s asking a lot of any man or woman, but that’s why they are getting paid the big bucks, right?
Cook has a lot on his shoulders, obviously, but he needs a stronger, smarter Eddy, either that or a new Eddy/Edith.
Oh, and regarding SIRI. She needs help.
AI/speech is not easy, but if any company should be getting it right it should be Apple — they have the resources, the smarts and the technical wherewithal to do almost anything they want. They should be the clear leader in this area. It’s galling to think the johnny-come-latelies are even seen as competitors.
Someone has been asleep at the switch. SIRI should RULE.
I suppose I should give it a try now that its supposed to be better. But its been probably a year since I even tried it.
Since I am kind of busy, will wait for a time when results don’t matter, so it might be awhile.