Apple Working on Natural Language Updates for Siri, Planning Redesign for macOS Ventura TV App

[aberdeenmeadows]

When Siri first came out, I was perplexed as it was nothing more than what automakers had come out with - where WE would have to LEARN how SIRI understands commands.

I had assumed that SIRI would seriously move towards how MEN HEARS and take ACTION based on that.

FOR EXAMPLE:

This is what is said:
GF would say "I have a class project that I am working on and the professor is so adamant about getting work on time. I mean, like last week I was five minutes late and it took me and others two hours to convnce her to accept my work and it's due every Friday by 6:00 pm or it doesn't get graded so this spreadsheet has this column, and I am it has information about how much rainfall occurred each day of this month and I would get this information from the weather app, right? And so now the professor wants a total of how much rainfall for the month. Can you help?

This is what MEN hear:
Friday 6:00 PM, she has a column of some numbers she wants added up. It is 5:45 PM Friday. We have 12 minutes (3 minutes leeway for internet, login and upload issues)

This is the Action we take:
1 - =sum(Column A)
2 - Format spreadsheet to look nicer
3 - Save File
4 - Uplaod File

Instead - we have to to tell SIRI and of course, 1/2 the stuff we tell her she can't or won't do. Even with Car Play - "Siri, run this shortcut" and I get "I can't because you are driving" and I am thinking - I KNOW I AM DRIVING! THAT'S WHY I AM TELLING YOU - AND NOT TYPING IT IN MYSELF!

I am looking forward to natural language and have it interact with software, for example. Office 365 is about to unleash AI functionality so that you tell it what you want your spreadsheet to do, and it does it. (We'll see how that works out!)

 

[nt5672]

I don’t know what a “natural language” update means but it doesn’t sound like it’s going to fix the main issues with Siri, which are that it’s buggy and unreliable

It means that Siri will be "buggy and unreliable" in a more natural soothing tone using the dumbed down language that is popular on social media today.

 

[rymc02]

I hope they add the ability to search the user's library

I was just told how to do this on another forum. If you go to your Library tab and make sure you in your Movies or TV Shows, go to View - Show Filter Field. It gives you a magnifying glass on the right hand side to search you Movies and TV Shows. That option will be grayed out however, if you are in any of the subcategories like "Action and Adventure". Hopefully they make this way easier.

 

[aberdeenmeadows]

Apple has squandered a golden opportunity to take the lead in virtual assistance vis-à-vis Google and Amazon. They have the most integrated ecosystem in tech, but just let it rot by adding superfluous features iteration after iteration.

Siri can't even program a HomeKit device to turn on for a period of time. After close to a decade since HomeKit was introduced and more than a decade for Siri, one would think this should go without saying.

Based on the article yesterday, its cumbersome code is most likely the reason for its deplorable voice recognition and its inability to accommodate multilingual households.

I would honestly consider switching if the gap in AI continues to widen between macOS/iOS and its competitors. Its impact on my productivity is starting to add up.

Indeed. A golden opportunity is being missed and there is no excuse. Apple has all the processing power in the world in it's own processors.

The good news is that Microsoft and Google are taking the hits right now with their roll-outs so hopefully Apple can learn from their mistakes and get theirs out the door by the end of this year. People are going to want to begin using natural conversation with their computers. It's going to be revolutionary. We'll see.

 

[DailySlow]

Apple appears to be working on some kind of natural language update for Siri on the Apple TV along with interface changes to the macOS TV app, according to details 9to5Mac located in the latest tvOS 16.4 and macOS Ventura 13.3 betas.

Information sourced from the tvOS 16.4 beta suggests that Apple has developed a "Siri Natural Language Generation" framework, presumably to enhance the personal assistant's natural language capabilities. According to 9to5Mac, Apple is using natural language generation for telling jokes with Siri, but as that functionality is on the iPhone and other devices, it is not quite clear what's changed. As 9to5Mac explains:

The updated natural language generation framework seems to be limited to tvOS 16.4 and little is known about it at this time, but 9to5Mac suggests that similar (and not activated) code is included in iOS, HomePod OS, iPadOS, and macOS, so whatever Siri features Apple is working on could also come to all devices in the future.

There is no indication that any natural language enhancement for Siri is an attempt by Apple to compete with Google, Microsoft, and others on AI-enhanced chatbots, but it seems that Apple may have some kind of plan to boost Siri's capabilities starting with tvOS 16.4.

Separately, a hidden version of the Apple TV app for Mac in the latest macOS Ventura 13.3 beta demonstrates a new design. There is an added sidebar for navigation, which brings the Apple TV app for Mac in line with the version for the iPad.

Image via 9to5Mac​

The sidebar brings easier access to various TV app functions, including Apple TV+, Watch Now, the Library, purchasable TV shows and movies, and more. Aside from the sidebar, the interface looks similar to the current TV app.

It's worth noting that the updated version of the TV app is not implemented in the current macOS 13.3 beta, so it could be added in a future beta or Apple could save it for a later software update.

Article Link: Apple Working on Natural Language Updates for Siri, Planning Redesign for macOS Ventura TV App

Hey Siri, don’t move, you my feel momentary pain.

 

[sdf]

To be honest Siri works just fine most of the time for my use. But on a HomePod not too long ago I asked Siri to set a timer. The responses were “working on it” followed by “sorry I can’t connect to the internet right now” or something like that.

Yeah, I think there's a bug somewhere deep that affects all Apple OSes* where they just utterly give up on networking for a while. It usually comes back after a few minutes, but I'll often toggle airplane mode to fix it.

*-except Apple TV, but that's just a "…so far" thing, I expect.

 

[compwiz1202]

Doesn't matter Siri is still miserable to use, "Hey Siri, what time is my alarm set for" "I see one alarm set, the alarm is set for 0530am, the alarm is currently on." How many times must she answer with the word alarm, alexa is quick and too the point, "Your 0530 am alarm is on". Siri is absolutely miserable to use, alarm turns on "hey siri stop my alarm" "waiting....waiting....waiting....I'm having a hard time stopping your alarm, alarm turns off"......siri is abysmal

Yea I just love when she does it but still says there was an issue

 

[compwiz1202]

"I don't know what you mean by lost remote in the living room. Here's what I found on the web for lost remote in the living room."

Heck I wouldn't need a remote if she could actually put what I asked for on the Apple TV.

 

[compwiz1202]

I wonder if Apple is tracking how many, "Siri you suck" comments / queries it gets everyday? lol

And they had to know since they programmed a response:

Wife "Hey Siri, why are you so dumb?"
Siri "I'm only trying to do my job. Is there anything else I can help you with?"

 

[compwiz1202]

Indeed. A golden opportunity is being missed and there is no excuse. Apple has all the processing power in the world in it's own processors.

The good news is that Microsoft and Google are taking the hits right now with their roll-outs so hopefully Apple can learn from their mistakes and get theirs out the door by the end of this year. People are going to want to begin using natural conversation with their computers. It's going to be revolutionary. We'll see.

We will be at like M64 and Siri still won't know how to turn on the ATV

 

[maxoakland]

I wonder if Apple is tracking how many, "Siri you suck" comments / queries it gets everyday? lol

They don’t have the data storage to hold those audio clips

 

[mjs916]

meanwhile MS adds ChatGPT 4 to all applications, so you can tell e.g. Word, Excel or Powerpoint what kind of document you need and it is generated by GPT.

So all Apple users (like me) will look to MS users who simply say „Hey Powerpoint, create me a presentation about robots“ and „Hey Powerpoint, can you make the background more vibrant and add some more information about Boston Dynamics?“

Meanwhile Apple is fiddling around with splitting the iPhone up into even more different models or with deep sea divers like VR goggles ….

And Apple misses the future - agsin

That sounds cool and all but where is the creativity in that?

Why would a want a generated PowerPoint on robots when I could create one myself? I’d rather input some data and have it make suggestions based on what I’ve entered, as it does already, but with more intelligence. I don’t want it writing content for me.

 

[AndiG]

That sounds cool and all but where is the creativity in that?

Why would a want a generated PowerPoint on robots when I could create one myself? I’d rather input some data and have it make suggestions based on what I’ve entered, as it does already, but with more intelligence. I don’t want it writing content for me.

why not? What it generates is just a template or a starting point. you could say things like add a quadrupled BD robot as background on slide 4, work on texts, change em - til you like what you see.

There is not much difference to writing code. It just speeds things up and it doesn‘t limit your creativity.

It‘ll change many things, like telling your CAD program to drill a hole on a certain position.

Apple completely misses how we will use computers in the future.

 

[AndiG]

Apple has rewritten all of MacOS and all of their apps for ARM processors, but Cook can’t handle the organization of complex tasks. 🙄

Nothing was rewritten. Darwin compiles on ARM since 2007. And since 2007 you were able to compile Apps for Intel or ARM targets.

Of course there was some work done. Under Tim, Apple should turn into a service company - failed. Cloud - failed, iCloud is not much more than an AWS S3 service. AI failed.

Cook is responsible for this strategic development and he failed. A trillion dollar company with thousands of employees produces very little output. Apple does things like AppleTV, burning cash for movies and many other stupid things.

I would be glad if Tim steps back and some other person takes over. Someone that follows a vision again, someone who really leads Apple into the future, like Nadella did with MS.

 

[lysingur]

Nothing was rewritten. Darwin compiles on ARM since 2007. And since 2007 you were able to compile Apps for Intel or ARM targets.

Of course there was some work done. Under Tim, Apple should turn into a service company - failed. Cloud - failed, iCloud is not much more than an AWS S3 service. AI failed.

Cook is responsible for this strategic development and he failed. A trillion dollar company with thousands of employees produces very little output. Apple does things like AppleTV, burning cash for movies and many other stupid things.

I would be glad if Tim steps back and some other person takes over. Someone that follows a vision again, someone who really leads Apple into the future, like Nadella did with MS.

Getting Apple into making movies is probably the most ill-advised decision on his part. Apple TV+ doesn't really help hardware sales and has never been profitable. Plus, all those billions could've been directed toward R&D for Apple Car and AI, which have much more long-term growth potential for a tech company.

It is also worth noting that all the profitable services Apple provides capitalize on its monopoly—Apple Music, App Store, iCloud, iTunes/Apple Books, and now Apple Pay, primarily through preinstalled apps or platform exclusivity. Under Cook, Apple has become critically reliant on a single product, the iPhone.

The bad news is there is no imminent product poised to supplant the iPhone as Apple's primary revenue generator and serve as the gateway to its ecosystem. As Apple's monopoly faces challenges domestically and internationally, it is highly likely that not only will its service revenue suffer in the long run, but its capacity to lock customers inside its walled garden will also diminish significantly.

Should 3rd-party app stores be allowed and the iPhone increasingly resembles macOS, Apple might find itself in a vulnerable position compared to its competitors, who appear better equipped to embrace the AI/automated future.

 

[thomsonr]

Anyone know how to enable/use the new TV App sidebar? No luck in finding out anywhere I search.

 

[_Spinn_]

Doesn’t the HomePod run tvOS? Could this be a smart home buff?

That’s a good point.

 

[Heat_Fan89]

Do you guys think it will be possible for Siri to find a lost remote in the living room?

Don’t you need a remote to talk to Siri?

 

[JonathanParker]

Soo apple is going to add some more conditions to the giant if..elseif chain that Siri runs on?

 

[dankron]

All I want from Siri is multi-language support, it doesn't even need to detect the language but just to be able for me to say read my last message in Portuguese would be the best feature ever, or even be able to dictate a message in Portuguese.

There is nothing more frustrating than receiving a text message while you are driving and getting Siri to read it to you and hearing a whole bunch of mambo jambo because the message is not in English.

such a basic feature... she already can identify the message is not in English (sometimes) why can't she just ask me what language should she read the message on?

 

[User 6502]

All I want from Siri is multi-language support, it doesn't even need to detect the language but just to be able for me to say read my last message in Portuguese would be the best feature ever, or even be able to dictate a message in Portuguese.

There is nothing more frustrating than receiving a text message while you are driving and getting Siri to read it to you and hearing a whole bunch of mambo jambo because the message is not in English.

such a basic feature... she already can identify the message is not in English (sometimes) why can't she just ask me what language should she read the message on?

Agreed. It’s infuriating Siri can’t read in the appropriate language case by case. I have the same issue with maps. It tries to read English roads with Italian language and unsurprisingly it doesn’t make any sense and I have no idea of what it’s talking about.

 

[George Dawes]

It'd be nice that when you ask it a question that give results it sent it to your mac or texted you rather than push it to an iPhone which I often don't have near me

 

[seek3r]

Siri can't even program a HomeKit device to turn on for a period of time. After close to a decade since HomeKit was introduced and more than a decade for Siri, one would think this should go without saying.

Homekit can, but it requires automations (why those are buried in the shortcuts app btw I don't get at all). I don't know why Siri can't create automations, everything is already there.