Apple Hires Former AltaVista and Amazon Search Exec to Run Siri Unit

[Ping Guo]

And there is no binary choice here. Apple can, should and will monetize Siri with consumer tracking, AND they will add capabilities in order to get more sales and more profits by inspiring repeat purchases by their customers.

Customers are tapped out and cutting discretionary spending left and right, besides we already have Google and Fb to fulfil our "consumer tracking" needs. As this sort of targeted advertising becomes ubiquitous, the ROI diminishes. Tell me, how's that Fb stock doing?

 

[wikus]

Apple products already are stagnant and overpriced. But since Apple is a substitute religion for most of its customers, it doesn't really matter.

That being said, Apple won't enter the search business. Search is much more complex than Maps, and we all know how Apple failed at that one.

Megalomania and arrogance seem to work well in marketing, but in this case, those two treats are not enough - you also need a working product. And a working product is something that also works outside of Cupertino.

I want to quote this because its 100% true.

 

[Ungibbed]

But thats where the problem is with Apple, the company has never heard of the word 'choice' or 'options'.

If it were up to Apple, profits or no profits, they would force you to use and do everything they saw fit.

Steve Jobs was very much a part of that. If you remember back before 1998, there was plenty of choice, even the loved Mac clones running OS 8.

Fast forward to today, I don't think Apple will rule their consumers with an iron fist, that's an easy way to lose them. Choice is good, as end users, we have to have ways to make the products we buy our own. Otherwise the computer isn't "personal" any longer.

Be it a Mac or any iOS device.