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87% of iPhone 4S Owners Use Siri Each Month

I'll be interested to read the results of the same study this time next year, assuming a similar study takes place. I suspect we'll see user satisfaction levels climb quite significantly. I think this because I believe Siri learns as it deals with queries -- not just about the nuances of different accents and the like, but also in terms of improving its search results. In other words, I think next year's Siri will be far more accurate. This should make it more useful, I think.
 
87% of iPhone4S users use some random beta software at least once a month.
That's nice. Certainly not headline news. Probably not even noteworthy. But nice to know . . . I guess.
 
I use Siri almost constantly to set up reminders, make phone calls, and write texts. When I am cooking or baking being able to use voice command to set a timer is awesome.

I look forward to further refinement and expansion however, particularly I have been disappointed by Siri's calendar creation: Try creating an event specifying date, time, and the calendar you want it to be created in. Impossible.
 
The Siri novelty has worn off for me. Requiring a data connection, even for local things like setting the alarm has made it a no-go for me. I can to the alarm quicker by using the phone rather than waiting for connections.

They need to make it more useful, I've jailbroken it so I can use it to change brightness, turn off wi-fi, bluetooth, etc. This should be standard functionality.

Further to that local functions should not require an internet connection(Voiceover did this fine locally).

They should also expand the functionality for things such as , activate all alarms before 7am as I have multiple alarms, or "set two alarms for 6.30 and 7.00" and so on.

If they enabled location services in Australia(which I know is coming sometime this year) then I would use it more instead of going through the Google Maps application.
 
I hope in future iterations of Siri, they allow the various languages to be used regardless of region. As a French student, I would LOVE to be able to use French Siri just for additional language exposure and practice. I did play with it in French but the location features (looking up restaurants, etc) wouldn't work stateside. I can't remember what else I got error messages on for not being in France.

I think that would be a big selling point and they could make an interesting add just on that.
 
I try to use Siri to dictate text messages and more than half the time it comes up with nothing. I spend more time looking down at the thing to see if it worked than if I just typed the thing out by hand. Because of this unreliability I find it just as dangerous to use driving as if I was manually entering it.
 
Nrwrit3r said:
An important question to ask here is the % of these people who had purchased the iPhone within a month. The reason I say this is because everyone tries Siri when they first buy the iPhone, but by a couple of months into owning it, they may cease to utilize the feature.
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I use it still, great for sending text messages
 
I use Siri "accidentally" all the time, by depressing the home button too long by mistake. I don't dislike Siri it is just not al that great, it pains me to say it but it is true.
 
This morning I asked Siri if I would need a coat. Siri brought up a list of ten stores nearby where I can buy a coat. I already own a coat. That wasn't what I asked.
 
Nrwrit3r said:
An important question to ask here is the % of these people who had purchased the iPhone within a month. The reason I say this is because everyone tries Siri when they first buy the iPhone, but by a couple of months into owning it, they may cease to utilize the feature.
Click to expand...

So, so true! Haven't used it In a long time
 
I'd be amazed if 87% of people really do use it once a month. Sounds like I'm not the only one that used it a few times when I first got my 4S but never used it/forgot about it since.
 
I don't. I've used Siri probably no more than 8 times. Every time, it fails me.

'Call my wife' calling THE WRONG NUMBER...

'Call mom' 'Which one is 'mom''... The one called 'mom' possibly?

'Where am I' 'There is a problem communicating. please ask again later'

'Find the nearest ______ ATM' I get shown a list of ALL of the ATM's. I click on one and can't get back to the list.

I think my issues with Siri are that it is not learning my speaking voice and can't make sense of my contacts and who is who.

Is there, or should there be, a training method to introduce Siri to your contacts and who is who. Like 'wife' means 'X', and 'mom' means 'Y'... It would make Siri more usable I'd think.
 
I probably use Siri a few times a week these days. I find that I'm much more likely to set up a reminder for something that I'm worried I might forget when it's as easy as holding the phone up to my ear and saying, "Remind me to do such-and-such at such a time/when I leave work/when I get home". It's especially good for those things that I think of just before falling asleep- it's much easier to use Siri for that than to unlock the phone, pull up the app, and try and sleepily type out what I want...
 
Nrwrit3r said:
An important question to ask here is the % of these people who had purchased the iPhone within a month. The reason I say this is because everyone tries Siri when they first buy the iPhone, but by a couple of months into owning it, they may cease to utilize the feature.
Click to expand...

Agreed...I think this 87% is way off...technically it may be correct and is a very narrow point..."87% use Siri as least once every 30 days."

My bet is that about 10% use Siri on a regular basis...say, at lease once a day. I've tried Siri and think it stinks...and besides, I can get much more accurate and detailed results from Google.

If Siri were to be tied into Google (or a Google offering) then it would be a lot better I think. If we wait a few years when the technology may improve, the CPUs may be faster for more complex speaking/understanding, and the world is yet even more internet-connected, then it may be something useful that we do every day. Till then, it's Google search and maps.
 
the8thark said:
87% of iPhone4S users use some random beta software at least once a month.
That's nice. Certainly not headline news. Probably not even noteworthy. But nice to know . . . I guess.
Click to expand...

Siri was/is the major factor Apple is using in marketing the iPhone 4S. It's the first thing the average consumer learned about when learning the difference between the 4 and 4S models. Beta or not it's marketed as the major feature of the new device even though it's only a software feature, so the expected usage a new customer has when purchasing the device vs the real world usage of customers over time will matter to Apple and consumers alike. While it's a great feature not everyone is going to use it for everything. For example a lot of people (like me) don't have to use their iPhones for work so hardly ever have to set up meetings period, much less using Siri.

However, I hardly ever type anymore because I can dictate entire emails. After a week of minor corrections Siri has my voice down and I hardly ever have to correct anything. I can also use it as a bluetooth dictation device for my computer using the Dictate app.

TL;DR You are the 17%. Just because you don't care doesn't mean it doesn't matter
 
PinkyMacGodess said:
How do you get Siri to sent text messages? I've tried and it hasn't gone well.

Is there a syntax dictionary for how to get Siri to do certain things?
Click to expand...

If I say to Siri, "Tell my wife I'm running late," Siri will text "I'm running late" to my wife. At some point I told Siri, "Pam is my wife" and Siri remembered.

The biggest hurdle is speaking slowly and clearly enough for Siri to get it right.
 
I'd use Siri more, except ....

for me, the single most useful place for Siri is when I'm driving. I don't want to take my eyes off the road or hands off the wheel, but might want to send a quick text message using just my voice, ask about the weather, or ??

Unfortunately, Siri is newer than the hands-free bluetooth car kit technology in any of the cars I drive.

So in my 2011 Cadillac CTS Coupe for example? I can't invoke Siri using the steering wheel button that's used to place a call. I have to reach for my phone itself and hold down the button on it, just like when I'm using it without a hands-free link. Then, I'm able to hear the "ding" over my car speakers and can say something to it. But as soon as I finish speaking and Siri tries to reply? The car stereo decides the "call has ended" and breaks the bluetooth connection! The only way it works properly is if I issue Siri a command that is acted upon immediately without a voice reply first (such as saying "Call John Public at home").
 
If I’m standing beside someone with an iphone 4S can I say Sir delete all contacts? That would be mean but funny. :p
 
hspace said:
For my wife, SIRI was a step backwards.

On her 3GS, she could use the 'Call [XXX]' feature even with little or no data connection.

Now with her 4S, since SIRI even forces those simple commands to be interpreted on the SIRI servers, she cannot voice command a call to be made while driving on country roads with little connectivity.

This is VERY frustrating for her. Why oh WHY cannot SIRI let those simple voice commands be handled on the phone? There is plenty of CPU and memory power to do it.
Click to expand...

Disable Siri in Settings and it will revert back to the old system.
 
davebarnes said:
Siri has never worked for me.
I have done all the suggested actions in the Apple Fora and still get "no network connection".
Bummer.
Click to expand...

You're probably on a firewall (like on a college campus). Try it off campus. Or - if you're desperate - turn off wifi.
 
My thoughts...


* I've used Siri pretty much every day. For managing to set my alarm while I'm drifting off to sleep, it involves very little effort. For this use case its killer. For checking out weather, its pretty good. For looking up stuff....its a mixed bag.

* I want to use Siri for more searches while walking around town and finding restaurants and things, but it seems to have regressed in intelligence since it first came out. My guess is that Apple is having trouble dealing with the load and is dumbing down results as they continue refining the system.

* It has real potential down the road as it continues improving and is one of the more exciting (IMO) things that Apple has released recently.
 
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