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Siri beats Google search easily, test results

H

hyteckit

Guest
Original poster
Jul 29, 2007
889
1
I've been playing with Google voice search on my iPhone back in 2008. Stop using it for years because I didn't find it convenient or useful enough. However, I started to play with it recently after the latest updated.

I'm surprise how Google search has fallen behind Siri in understanding natural language. Google has been in the search engine game for close to 20 years, while Apple has gotten into the game a few years ago.

Here are some of my test. The voice searches/requests are repeated 3 times.


TEST 1: Understand the words "Get directions to".


Siri:

"Get directions to CVS" - Shows map with directions. SUCCESS
"Get directions to Starbucks" - Shows map with directions. SUCCESS
"Get directions to McDonald's" - Shows map with directions. SUCCESS
"Get directions to downtown" - Shows map with directions. SUCCESS
"Get directions to downtown LA" - Shows map with directions. SUCCESS
"Get directions to the closest airport" - Shows map with directions. SUCCESS
"Get directions to LAX" - Shows map with directions. SUCCESS
"Get directions to the closest gas station" - Shows map with directions. SUCCESS

Google:

"Get directions to CVS" - does a web search. FAILED
"Get directions to Starbucks" - does a web search. FAILED
"Get directions to McDonald's" - Shows map with directions. SUCCESS
"Get directions to downtown" - does a web search. FAILED
"Get directions to downtown LA" - Shows map with directions. SUCCESS
"Get directions to the closest airport" - does a web search. FAILED
"Get directions to LAX" - Shows map with directions. SUCCESS
"Get directions to the closest gas station" - does a web search. FAILED



More test.

TEST 2: Asking about basic scientific facts about water boiling point and freezing point using natural language.

3 or 4 variations using natural language asking about the boiling point and freezing point of water.



Siri:

Shows the data for all of the below questions.

"What's the water boiling point" - SUCCESS
"What's the boiling point of water" - SUCCESS
"What temperature does water boil" - SUCCESS
"What's the water freezing point" - SUCCESS
"What's the freezing point of water" - SUCCESS
"What temperature does water freeze" - SUCCESS
"At what temperature does water freeze" - SUCCESS

Google:
"What's the water boiling point" - SUCCESS
"What's the boiling point of water" - SUCCESS
"What temperature does water boil" - SUCCESS
"What's the water freezing point" - FAILED, web search
"What's the freezing point of water" - FAILED, web search
"What temperature does water freeze" - FAILED, web search
"At what temperature does water freeze" - FAILED, web search


Um.. google knows the boiling point, but not the freezing point of water?



More test.

TEST 3: Asking about movie theaters showing Skyfall


3 variations using natural language asking about movie showings for Skyfall.

Siri:

Find movie showings for Skyfall - SUCCESS, shows listing
Where is Skyfall playing - SUCCESS, shows listing
What movie theaters are showing Skyfall - SUCCESS, shows listing

Google:
Find movie showings for Skyfall - FAILED, web search
Where is Skyfall playing - SUCCESS, shows listing
What movie theaters are showing Skyfall - FAILED, web search


Siri had no problems with the world "sky fall". Google keeps changing sky fall to sky phone, skype phone, skype iPhone, or variations of it.

Google had bad voice to text:

Find movie showings for Skyfall => Find movie showings for Skype iPhone, Find movie showings for sky phone
 
SlCKB0Y

SlCKB0Y

macrumors 68040
Feb 25, 2012
3,426
555
Sydney, Australia
hyteckit said:
I just saw the video a minute ago. Seems Siri is better. Voice recognition test starts at 2:40.
Click to expand...

It's pretty much the only review i've seen claiming Siri is better and not very extensive. Almost every other review i've seen picks Google search as significantly better.
 
H

hyteckit

Guest
Original poster
Jul 29, 2007
889
1
paulbennett95 said:
Although Siri is good, whenever I say cable it thinks I said table :/
Click to expand...

I ask Siri "How do I tie a cable to a table"

Siri got the voice to text right with no problems. Although it just ask me if I want to search the web.

I ask Siri "How many inches is in a 1 foot cable".

Got voice to text right and shows my how many inches in 1 foot. Nice.
 
jsw

jsw

Moderator emeritus
Mar 16, 2004
22,910
44
Andover, MA
I don't know what your accent is like, but I didn't have these issues. Yes, once or twice, "Skyfall" was heard as "skype call" in the first example, but a tap on that phrase easily led me to the right results. The rest were non-issues.

Furthermore, "find xxxx" works a lot better than "get directions to xxxx" on both devices, so I'm not sure why you'd use the longer version.

However, there were things I found that showed Siri working much better. For example, "where can I find a good cheeseburger?" completely stumped Google Search. Well, it showed me some tempting pictures, but no directions.

Also, the Siri use of Wolfram Alpha is a big plus. So... I'm not saying Siri isn't better, at least in many cases, I'm just saying I don't see the issues you did.

Edit: while I agree that, in my use, Siri is better than Google Search for the types of things I tend to search for via voice, there are plusses to the Google side of things: first, voice dictation works way, WAY better on Android. Second, Google Now is well-put-together, so once you get those searches right, the rest of the system plays well together, reminds you of things, etc.
 
paulbennett95

paulbennett95

macrumors 6502a
Aug 30, 2012
581
0
Long Island, NY
hyteckit said:
I ask Siri "How do I tie a cable to a table"

Siri got the voice to text right with no problems. Although it just ask me if I want to search the web.

I ask Siri "How many inches is in a 1 foot cable".

Got voice to text right and shows my how many inches in 1 foot. Nice.
Click to expand...
I guess because I don't speak loudly when I use Siri, she has some trouble (I feel like an idiot when I use Siri so I never speak loud enough to her to draw attention to myself, lol)
 
SlCKB0Y

SlCKB0Y

macrumors 68040
Feb 25, 2012
3,426
555
Sydney, Australia
hyteckit said:
From my test, Siri easily beats Google search using natural language.

My results below:

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1487427/
Click to expand...

I just tested and Google Search on Android (presumably it's the same engine) worked for every one of your "Get directions to" questions. Unlike iOS 6, it's also likely to actually direct me to the correct location. :rolleyes:

Completely different results to you and thats even with my non-US accent.
 
H

hyteckit

Guest
Original poster
Jul 29, 2007
889
1
paulbennett95 said:
I guess because I don't speak loudly when I use Siri, she has some trouble (I feel like an idiot when I use Siri so I never speak loud enough to her to draw attention to myself, lol)
Click to expand...

I feel silly using it in public. People just stare at me with a funny look. :D

I use Siri often when I'm in the car, at home, and at my office.
 
H

hyteckit

Guest
Original poster
Jul 29, 2007
889
1
jsw said:
I don't know what your accent is like, but I didn't have these issues. Yes, once or twice, "Skyfall" was heard as "skype call" in the first example, but a tap on that phrase easily led me to the right results. The rest were non-issues.
Click to expand...

I repeat the same question 3 times. Didn't have a single issue with the word 'skyfall' with Siri after saying it 9 times total.

Siri understood me fine everytime I said "Skyfall".

Google search shows "sky fall" initially, then changes to sky phone or skype phone or skype iPhone. Got frustrating almost to the point I just want to type it in. Finally got it after the 5th attempt.
 
B

Bahroo

macrumors 68000
Jul 21, 2012
1,860
2
hyteckit said:
I've been playing with Google voice search on my iPhone back in 2008. Stop using it for years because I didn't find it convenient or useful enough. However, I started to play with it recently after the latest updated.

I'm surprise how Google search has fallen behind Siri in understanding natural language. Google has been in the search engine game for close to 20 years, while Apple has gotten into the game a few years ago.

Here are some of my test. The voice searches/requests are repeated 3 times.


TEST 1: Understand the words "Get directions to".


Siri:

"Get directions to CVS" - Shows map with directions. SUCCESS
"Get directions to Starbucks" - Shows map with directions. SUCCESS
"Get directions to McDonald's" - Shows map with directions. SUCCESS
"Get directions to downtown" - Shows map with directions. SUCCESS
"Get directions to downtown LA" - Shows map with directions. SUCCESS
"Get directions to the closest airport" - Shows map with directions. SUCCESS
"Get directions to LAX" - Shows map with directions. SUCCESS
"Get directions to the closest gas station" - Shows map with directions. SUCCESS

Google:

"Get directions to CVS" - does a web search. FAILED
"Get directions to Starbucks" - does a web search. FAILED
"Get directions to McDonald's" - Shows map with directions. SUCCESS
"Get directions to downtown" - does a web search. FAILED
"Get directions to downtown LA" - Shows map with directions. SUCCESS
"Get directions to the closest airport" - does a web search. FAILED
"Get directions to LAX" - Shows map with directions. SUCCESS
"Get directions to the closest gas station" - does a web search. FAILED



More test.

TEST 2: Asking about basic scientific facts about water boiling point and freezing point using natural language.

3 or 4 variations using natural language asking about the boiling point and freezing point of water.



Siri:

Shows the data for all of the below questions.

"What's the water boiling point" - SUCCESS
"What's the boiling point of water" - SUCCESS
"What temperature does water boil" - SUCCESS
"What's the water freezing point" - SUCCESS
"What's the freezing point of water" - SUCCESS
"What temperature does water freeze" - SUCCESS
"At what temperature does water freeze" - SUCCESS

Google:
"What's the water boiling point" - SUCCESS
"What's the boiling point of water" - SUCCESS
"What temperature does water boil" - SUCCESS
"What's the water freezing point" - FAILED, web search
"What's the freezing point of water" - FAILED, web search
"What temperature does water freeze" - FAILED, web search
"At what temperature does water freeze" - FAILED, web search


Um.. google knows the boiling point, but not the freezing point of water?



More test.

TEST 3: Asking about movie theaters showing Skyfall


3 variations using natural language asking about movie showings for Skyfall.

Siri:

Find movie showings for Skyfall - SUCCESS, shows listing
Where is Skyfall playing - SUCCESS, shows listing
What movie theaters are showing Skyfall - SUCCESS, shows listing

Google:
Find movie showings for Skyfall - FAILED, web search
Where is Skyfall playing - SUCCESS, shows listing
What movie theaters are showing Skyfall - FAILED, web search


Siri had no problems with the world "sky fall". Google keeps changing sky fall to sky phone, skype phone, skype iPhone, or variations of it.

Google had bad voice to text:

Find movie showings for Skyfall => Find movie showings for Skype iPhone, Find movie showings for sky phone
Click to expand...

is this Google Now on Jelly Bean? or not because i find google now on jelly bean to actually be really good in terms of understanding what your saying, it is not better then Siri in providing more detailed information or other things though
 
jsw

jsw

Moderator emeritus
Mar 16, 2004
22,910
44
Andover, MA
Bahroo said:
is this Google Now on Jelly Bean? or not because i find google now on jelly bean to actually be really good in terms of understanding what your saying, it is not better then Siri in providing more detailed information or other things though
Click to expand...
My testing was with Google Now on Jelly Bean. I did note Skyfall issues once, but I didn't note the other issues.

That said, I think Siri is much better for use when, say, driving. I think Google Search isn't as useful, especially because there's no audio feedback.

I'm a huge fan of Google Now, and a big fan of voice dictation on Android, but less of a fan of Google Search. I think Siri clearly wins any comprehensive use testing of the two*, which isn't to say Siri would win every single round.

Edit: * in terms of usability while driving. However, Dave.UK's link gives me pause....
 
Last edited:
H

hyteckit

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Original poster
Jul 29, 2007
889
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I'm not comparing Google Now to Siri. I'm comparing Google app with voice search on iOS.

I wish I have Google Now on Jelly bean to test and play with. The would be a very good test.

I just have Google voice search on ICS, which I'm not very impress with.
 
jsw

jsw

Moderator emeritus
Mar 16, 2004
22,910
44
Andover, MA
hyteckit said:
I'm not comparing Google Now to Siri. I'm comparing Google app with voice search on iOS.

I wish I have Google Now on Jelly bean to test and play with. The would be a very good test.
Click to expand...
Ah. Well, I'd say that the results are probably similar but a bit better on Jelly Bean. All things considered, I'd say it's almost always better to use Siri on the iPhone as opposed to the iOS Google app. You just can't beat the ease of access to it and the voice replies.
 
SandboxGeneral

SandboxGeneral

Moderator emeritus
Sep 8, 2010
26,482
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Detroit
I started playing with Google Voice search today on my iPhone 4S, and I have to say when it comes to speed, it really slaps Siri all over the place. It almost seems to predict what I'm saying before I finish my inquiry and brings it up instantly.

The big difference between GVS and Siri, other than speed, is in the way you phrase your questions. Siri is more adaptable at figuring out what I say in any number of manners. GVS is a bit more rigid in that I have to phrase a question just right in order to get the results I'm looking for.
 
H

hyteckit

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Original poster
Jul 29, 2007
889
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SlCKB0Y said:
I just tested and Google Search on Android (presumably it's the same engine) worked for every one of your "Get directions to" questions. Unlike iOS 6, it's also likely to actually direct me to the correct location. :rolleyes:

Completely different results to you and thats even with my non-US accent.
Click to expand...

No, it's different on Android.

Google app on iOS only does voice searches.
Google Now on Android does voice commands like Siri.


It works fine on my Android device also. It just isn't as fast as the Google app on iOS.
 
H

hyteckit

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Original poster
Jul 29, 2007
889
1
jsw said:
Furthermore, "find xxxx" works a lot better than "get directions to xxxx" on both devices, so I'm not sure why you'd use the longer version.
Click to expand...

Yes, "find xxx" does work better. But, it's not showing directions. It just shows a map. It's nothing more than a google search on the web.

I use "get directions to" because my android device shows "directions to" as one of the voice commands and "find xxx" isn't.
 
SlCKB0Y

SlCKB0Y

macrumors 68040
Feb 25, 2012
3,426
555
Sydney, Australia
hyteckit said:
No, it's different on Android.

Google app on iOS only does voice searches.
Google Now on Android does voice commands like Siri.


It works fine on my Android device also. It just isn't as fast as the Google app on iOS.
Click to expand...

Ahh Ok. I must say though that I could reproduce your issue with water freezing questions. Especially weird when the similarly worded boiling questions worked!
 
paulbennett95

paulbennett95

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Aug 30, 2012
581
0
Long Island, NY
The only thing google search had over siri in those tests was that it defaulted to google when it didn't have a built in response, while Siri needs confirmation to search, but you can fix that by starting the command with "google [command]" And I didn't like the video, because Siri searches after you stop talking for like 2 seconds, and that chick waited like 5 seconds before starting her question.
 
H

hyteckit

Guest
Original poster
Jul 29, 2007
889
1
paulbennett95 said:
The only thing google search had over siri in those tests was that it defaulted to google when it didn't have a built in response, while Siri needs confirmation to search, but you can fix that by starting the command with "google [command]"
Click to expand...

Exactly. You know how to use Siri. Some others don't. They treat Siri as a search engine. Siri takes voice commands and not just search terms.

I can't just say "boobs" and expect Siri to know what I want. :D


Want to search using Google.

Say "Google [subject]".

Want to search using Yahoo.

Say "Yahoo [subject]"

Want to search with default search engine.

Say "Search the web for [subject]"
 
C

cnguyen0320

macrumors regular
Aug 14, 2012
177
0
hyteckit said:
I've been playing with Google voice search on my iPhone back in 2008. Stop using it for years because I didn't find it convenient or useful enough. However, I started to play with it recently after the latest updated.

I'm surprise how Google search has fallen behind Siri in understanding natural language. Google has been in the search engine game for close to 20 years, while Apple has gotten into the game a few years ago.

Here are some of my test. The voice searches/requests are repeated 3 times.


TEST 1: Understand the words "Get directions to".


Siri:

"Get directions to CVS" - Shows map with directions. SUCCESS
"Get directions to Starbucks" - Shows map with directions. SUCCESS
"Get directions to McDonald's" - Shows map with directions. SUCCESS
"Get directions to downtown" - Shows map with directions. SUCCESS
"Get directions to downtown LA" - Shows map with directions. SUCCESS
"Get directions to the closest airport" - Shows map with directions. SUCCESS
"Get directions to LAX" - Shows map with directions. SUCCESS
"Get directions to the closest gas station" - Shows map with directions. SUCCESS

Google:

"Get directions to CVS" - does a web search. FAILED
"Get directions to Starbucks" - does a web search. FAILED
"Get directions to McDonald's" - Shows map with directions. SUCCESS
"Get directions to downtown" - does a web search. FAILED
"Get directions to downtown LA" - Shows map with directions. SUCCESS
"Get directions to the closest airport" - does a web search. FAILED
"Get directions to LAX" - Shows map with directions. SUCCESS
"Get directions to the closest gas station" - does a web search. FAILED



More test.

TEST 2: Asking about basic scientific facts about water boiling point and freezing point using natural language.

3 or 4 variations using natural language asking about the boiling point and freezing point of water.



Siri:

Shows the data for all of the below questions.

"What's the water boiling point" - SUCCESS
"What's the boiling point of water" - SUCCESS
"What temperature does water boil" - SUCCESS
"What's the water freezing point" - SUCCESS
"What's the freezing point of water" - SUCCESS
"What temperature does water freeze" - SUCCESS
"At what temperature does water freeze" - SUCCESS

Google:
"What's the water boiling point" - SUCCESS
"What's the boiling point of water" - SUCCESS
"What temperature does water boil" - SUCCESS
"What's the water freezing point" - FAILED, web search
"What's the freezing point of water" - FAILED, web search
"What temperature does water freeze" - FAILED, web search
"At what temperature does water freeze" - FAILED, web search


Um.. google knows the boiling point, but not the freezing point of water?



More test.

TEST 3: Asking about movie theaters showing Skyfall


3 variations using natural language asking about movie showings for Skyfall.

Siri:

Find movie showings for Skyfall - SUCCESS, shows listing
Where is Skyfall playing - SUCCESS, shows listing
What movie theaters are showing Skyfall - SUCCESS, shows listing

Google:
Find movie showings for Skyfall - FAILED, web search
Where is Skyfall playing - SUCCESS, shows listing
What movie theaters are showing Skyfall - FAILED, web search


Siri had no problems with the world "sky fall". Google keeps changing sky fall to sky phone, skype phone, skype iPhone, or variations of it.

Google had bad voice to text:

Find movie showings for Skyfall => Find movie showings for Skype iPhone, Find movie showings for sky phone
Click to expand...

Do you have a video? Most videos show google blowing away Siri. Also, perhaps Google search (Google Now) is better on Android devices?
 
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