Siri Shows Increasing Promise, But Accuracy Falls Short of Google Text Searches

[Lochias]

Let's hear it for a live, shipping Google!

"In what should not be a surprise given

And ... who keeps a live shipping product in beta for a year? NO ONE!!!!

Except Google.
Gmail, as I recall, was in beta from 2004 to 2009. Similarly Google Docs, Calendar.

Why is this supposed to be so terrible? Betas, with a willing audience, are a way (eventually) to get it right. It seems to me far better than to pretend perfection from year one.

By the way, one great beta was leap year, started in 45 BC, changed to every four years a few years later, then again in 1582 to what we have now. I think we are out of beta.

 

[diamond.g]

Except Google.
Gmail, as I recall, was in beta from 2004 to 2009. Similarly Google Docs, Calendar.

Why is this supposed to be so terrible? Betas, with a willing audience, are a way (eventually) to get it right. It seems to me far better than to pretend perfection from year one.

By the way, one great beta was leap year, started in 45 BC, changed to every four years a few years later, then again in 1582 to what we have now. I think we are out of beta.

I think that Google didn't sell those products to businesses (Google Apps/Appliance) until it was no longer in beta.

 

[MacNewsFix]

I think that Google didn't sell those products to businesses (Google Apps/Appliance) until it was no longer in beta.

Apologies for interjecting, but Google was selling government contracts on their services before they were out of beta in 2009.

 

[Geckotek]

"remind me anthony's wedding (whenever)"

If you "set an appointment" siri guess that the "appointment" is to be setted

Also the timer works well for me too, and is the only thing I use.

Doesn't "remind me" set a reminder instead of a calendar item?

 

[IPexpress]

Siri

I am sure Siri will evolve and improve, like all good new technology, if there is a will to make it work.

 

[diamond.g]

Apologies for interjecting, but Google was selling government contracts on their services before they were out of beta in 2009.

Thanks for the link.

Siri should be constantly improving. It shouldn't need a new version of iOS to get new features. Especially since most of it is server side.

 

[gwmacosx]

What about Google Now in Jellybean?

I wonder how Apple will respond to the new Google Now coming in Jellybean in July. I have watched a number of videos and it is damned impressive. The voice sounds a lot more natural, it is faster than Siri, and you can also ask a lot more varied questions and get the answers right away. I have not installed the iOS 6 beta with the new and improved Siri, but from what I have seen in videos, Google Now seems to blow it away. Like another poster said, Apple needs something more robust than WolframAlpha and Yelp to tie in with Siri. Maybe Yahoo could be a good fit.

They also need to improve the accuracy of the voice recognition. This could be done similar to Dragon by having you read a story aloud. Let me give you an example. I asked Siri is a very clear voice with no background noise. "How tall is Big Ben?" But no matter how many times I tried it kept hearing Big Bend with a D and not Ben for some reason.

I also hope they improve Siri's voice to sound more natural. The robotic voice was quirky and funny at first, now it is a bit annoying. The Google Now voice really sounds far more natural and realistic. Personally, I would also like a choice between a few voices and would prefer a male voice. The Alex voice for example in OS X sounds the most natural for me and the easiest to understand.

AT&T also has some really fantastic sounding voices and offer a demo here. Would it be too expensive for Apple to license these voices from AT&T?
http://www2.research.att.com/~ttsweb/tts/demo.php/

 

[MacNewsFix]

Thanks for the link.

Siri should be constantly improving. It shouldn't need a new version of iOS to get new features. Especially since most of it is server side.

I agree. I think they are already tweaking things behind the scenes from my own experience.

As for iOS 6 (which should be a free upgrade for anyone with an iPhone 4S and, therefore, already enjoying Siri), I'm not exactly sure how much the discussed improvements are tied to the new OS, which I believe is your point. The exceptions would be new Siri attributes that are reliant on other new features exclusive to iOS 6, such as Apple's new maps.

As someone who had the original Siri running on his first gen iPod Touch before Apple purchased the company, I can attest to the fact that some of the future features will be well utilized (at least by me ), so I hope those new data centers are ready to go. It won't be just the iPhone 4S owners who are going to be hammering the data centers, but everyone with the new iPads too.

I wonder how Apple will respond to the new Google Now coming in Jellybean in July.

The results are impressive. However, how Google Now operates is an anathema to Apple. Apple is going to leave it to a Congressional subcommittee, the FTC, or EU data privacy commissions to respond.

 

[Fraaaa]

Doesn't "remind me" set a reminder instead of a calendar item?

True. Say: "Create Anthony's Wedding tomorrow at nine."

Create "name of the event" at "time"

It works quite well even with my broken accent. Saying create SIRI gives you the calendar, with remind gives you a reminder.

 

[Appsman]

SIRI jokes

I'm using Siri to post this message and, as you can see, it's 100% a cure writ and pancakes urethra.

An awesome SIRI jokes, if really happened. Do you have screenshots of this?

 

[Sensamic]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHkhp6BwnGo


Looks like Google Voice Search is... awesome?

 

[Bezetos]

But don't take my word for it, google: "What spices are in Lasagna?" and then look at the bold words, those are the keywords it matched in those results. Sure, right now siri can't answer that, but eventually it will, better than google even, because google will still rely on keywords because that's what it's made to do.

I just thought I'll return here to prove you wrong.

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An awesome SIRI jokes, if really happened. Do you have screenshots of this?

He was joking obviously.

 

[diamond.g]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHkhp6BwnGo


Looks like Google Voice Search is... awesome?

The speech to text accuracy is pretty good too.

 

[itsjayswelly]

I think a lot of people are confused about what this test is all about. The article is a little misleading because it doesn't specifically state the parameters of the experiment. It makes it seem as if the tester is using Google Now vs. Siri (which I mention below).

As we all know Google is the most popular search engine on any computing platform. What Gene Munster was trying to determine is if Siri could compete with Google to be a top mobile search application without directly using Google search results. So Munster is not going to ask Siri to Google the answer - that would be pointless. The idea was to see if Siri, using voice, was able to produce the same results as Google Search without saying "Google blah blah blah." The noise and quiet test were for Siri, not Google. He later states that for Siri to become a viable search alternative, it needed to reduce its reliance on Google and increase its score from a D to a B.

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2406580,00.asp

As far as Google Now vs. Siri, this seems like a really competition. I have used neither extensively but it looks as if Google has presented a real competitor to Siri. Not only does it provide answers quickly, but it can also take note of your routine, and assist you by providing relevant information without you even asking. To some that may be creepy, but I think that carriers can already track your movements (FBI, police), so at least Google is making the creepiness useful. IMO if you are worried about being tracked then you might want to ditch technology and move to Africa before 2015.

 

[SleeplessChaos]

I just thought I'll return here to prove you wrong.

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I'd just like to thank you for proving my point. If the tests were between that program and siri, then the research would've been even remotely relevant.

 

[Bezetos]

I'd just like to thank you for proving my point. If the tests were between that program and siri, then the research would've been even remotely relevant.

How does that prove your point and not disprove your statement:

Sure, right now siri can't answer that, but eventually it will, better than google even, because google will still rely on keywords because that's what it's made to do.

It's like you've never heard about the Knowledge Graph

 

[SleeplessChaos]

How does that prove your point and not disprove your statement:



It's like you've never heard about the Knowledge Graph

Because neither of those things are google text search...

I figured it would be obvious when I said "google" that I was specifically referring to the text based search engine that the article used to test siri's "usefulness," I guess not...

Not only that, but the knowledge graph provides information that is even more ambiguous than a google text search would.

 

[Bezetos]

Because neither of those things are google text search...

I figured it would be obvious when I said "google" that I was specifically referring to the text based search engine that the article used to test siri's "usefulness," I guess not...

Not only that, but the knowledge graph provides information that is even more ambiguous than a google text search would.

Mate.

Please.

Google (text-search!) stuff like "who is the lead singer of Marron 5".
Or "Who is Dr. Dre married to".
Or "What is the cast of Titanic".
Or "When did Michael Jackson die?"

You get the exact answer. Google has been working on this for years.

Siri is just a bloody gimmick. It's nothing revolutionary. It's just an extension of what Google did years ago (4 years ago to be precise) for the iPhone by adding a few gimmicks like setting up a reminder or checking your calendar. I don't care that Siri can tell me a joke. I don't care that it will try to answer my question to meaning of life. It's just a canned response. A gimmick.

Siri will never be better than Google Search, and suggesting that "the technology in siri is far more advanced than in a google search and is actually moving devices toward sentience" (your own words) is extremely naïve and makes me roll on the floor laughing.

 

[SleeplessChaos]

Mate.

Please.

Google (text-search!) stuff like "who is the lead singer of Marron 5".
Or "Who is Dr. Dre married to".
Or "What is the cast of Titanic".
Or "When did Michael Jackson die?"

You get the exact answer. Google has been working on this for years.

Siri is just a bloody gimmick. It's nothing revolutionary. It's just an extension of what Google did years ago (4 years ago to be precise) for the iPhone by adding a few gimmicks like setting up a reminder or checking your calendar. I don't care that Siri can tell me a joke. I don't care that it will try to answer my question to meaning of life. It's just a canned response. A gimmick.

Siri will never be better than Google Search, and suggesting that "the technology in siri is far more advanced than in a google search and is actually moving devices toward sentience" (your own words) is extremely naïve and makes me roll on the floor laughing.

*Sigh* This whole thread and you still can't understand what I'm saying in plain English. I don't give a crap about who came up with siri's technology first, I'm no apple fanboy I assure you of that.

The only thing that I'm saying is that what google text search intends to be and what the technology that is in siri intends to be are two completely different things. That's it. I give google text search props where it's due, it's likely the most efficient text based search engine on the web, but in most scenarios comparing the two is like comparing a shotgun to a sniper rifle. Sure right now siri's not the most accurate rifle but it doesn't ever intend to be a shotgun.

I'm not saying that google hasn't already made a sniper rifle and I'm not saying they're incapable of creating a better sniper rifle than apple, but I'm saying that the things being compared in the research are things with two different designs.

 

[samcraig]

And I think you keep missing the point of his posts which is back to the original article. The test was on finding accurate information based on what you were asking the search feature - whether it was voice or not. If you are going to search for information - Siri comes up short. You can't seem to let that one go - apple fan or not. Is it that hard to just admit that it's an accurate statement.

Siri vs Google Text Search - you are better off IF YOU WANT THE BETTER RESULT - using Google Text Search. That's all. Not a big deal.

*Sigh* This whole thread and you still can't understand what I'm saying in plain English. I don't give a crap about who came up with siri's technology first, I'm no apple fanboy I assure you of that.

The only thing that I'm saying is that what google text search intends to be and what the technology that is in siri intends to be are two completely different things. That's it. I give google text search props where it's due, it's likely the most efficient text based search engine on the web, but in most scenarios comparing the two is like comparing a shotgun to a sniper rifle. Sure right now siri's not the most accurate rifle but it doesn't ever intend to be a shotgun.

I'm not saying that google hasn't already made a sniper rifle and I'm not saying they're incapable of creating a better sniper rifle than apple, but I'm saying that the things being compared in the research are things with two different designs.