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Siri Held Back by Lack of Advancements in Microphone Technology
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This statement is just plain wrong. Microphones being the source of bad recognition. So wrong. Everyone having done a first semester in electrotechniques knows this is just bull. You can't get rid of the mathematical errors introduced by digitization. Test it with a good microphone, your results will not improve much.
Apple always looking for talent with vast experience, maybe you should apply.
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I believe I already defined how it currently is working out and the positive direction Apple is taking for future development.
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I don't think this excuse applies either because Siri has access to GPS location but searching for directions to known landmarks within a short 15 minutes drive away will often give wrong results in other parts of the state or even different state. There should be a voice command like "Really Siri?!" to flag results for Apple to analyse when Siri fumbles hard.
ok,, maybe this is true, but lets face it,, no one is gonna shout from across the room at siri are they? If your cooking or something, perhaps, but then i gotta ask "how large is your kitchen ?"
Software, in part, could help with noise cancelling.
"Siri still often fails to hear commands or misinterprets spoken words, mistakes that could perhaps be improved with better microphone technology in the future."
...or people just need to speak clearer.... software updates etc.... there are many things that can be done "instead of blame the microphone" as the answer. That was basically how it is with Dragon Naturally speaking when u train it as well... Is Apple gonna only blame the mic now is their Mac's for the same reason ? what about the fact Siri has a limited vocabulary ...... That is also entirely possible as not being able to understand u.
Software, in part, could help with noise cancelling.
"Siri still often fails to hear commands or misinterprets spoken words, mistakes that could perhaps be improved with better microphone technology in the future."
...or people just need to speak clearer.... software updates etc.... there are many things that can be done "instead of blame the microphone" as the answer. That was basically how it is with Dragon Naturally speaking when u train it as well... Is Apple gonna only blame the mic now is their Mac's for the same reason ? what about the fact Siri has a limited vocabulary ...... That is also entirely possible as not being able to understand u.
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1. Yep, MSEE and an area of specialization in Signal Processing and Digital Recording.
2. Yes one of the most difficult parts of speech recognition is natural language. You can couple that with various regional dialects and it's a mess.
I grew up in the SF Bay Area and for the most part have zero accent. Siri and Google recognize my speech at almost 100% accuracy. I worked on cell phones and voice recognition in the past. Training with some key portions of words and phrases can increase recognition.
The bottom line is that it isn't microphone technology.
Yeah cheap mics are a problem but transducer technology is old and mature.
There are mics with incredible dynamic range. There are mics that can capture SPLs greater than 165dB.
Analyst for the most part are non technical morons that know nothing.
In reality it probably happens more often than not. Instead of fumbling in the dark for the light switch I often say "Ok Google, turn on flashlight" and it works even when the phone is on the desk opposite end of master bedroom.
Remember, those other systems allow for 3rd party integration. Siri as of now does not. Those other services pull a lot of info from 3rd party sources and share your data with those services. Siri does not. Until it does, it will always lag behind. Right now it privacy or not.
What does Siri and Apple Maps GPS navigation have to do with 3rd party integration or privacy? Are you implying that it can't know where I'm explicitly asking it to go? Sounds more like an excuse than a valid technical reason.
Google and Google service do not share your information with 3rd parties. OK Google intergration is just an API to allow google now to access the data from those Apps. Not the other way around.
You've been listening to way too much Anti-Google FUD
No, she hears me just fine. It's useful for system operations on a phone, but the AI is dumb. Anyway, I don't care about the AI. Just make it so she can do more stuff.
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That's the fault of Apple's maps. Their location search sucks. I still use it for navigation, but I often have to Google the place first.
Agreed. Too much fear mondering FUD.
Google Now integration is opt-in. It'll still work accurately and reliably but won't have visibility into calendar, email, etc. to, for example, predictively inform you ahead of time to leave to make it to your destination due to traffic condition.
What's that got to do with it being a rubbish digital assistant ? Stop being an apologist and call it what it is.
Now.you take care..
I am not anti Google. I wish Apple would ease up on their privacy stance and allow 3rd party Siri integration.
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Digital assistance need data to function properly. The more it knows about you, the better it is. The more it is able to integrate with 3rd party sources, the better it will be.
What about that is apologizing??? Siri will be last place until Apple eases up on the strings.
So digital microphones are not evolving fast enough. This is when I miss Jobs the most. He would have jumped on this opportunity years ago and be the front runner (and patent owner) of advanced digital mics. Sigh.
Exactly. I had to laugh at the BS in the article (here and at Bloomberg). I've worked in high-end audio engineering and sound reproduction. Trust me, currently microphone technology is mind-blowing, and it has absolutely nothing to do with Siri and other virtual assistants being rubbish.
Sorry, misunderstood what you were saying.
you are correct, the reason why G.Now and Alexa are so good is because of the larger data poolthat it can get it's information to learn from is.
High-end Lumia phones have HAAC microphones which reduces noise and improve dynamic range. Don't know why iPhones didn't implement something like that. I can record a loud live show with nearly zero distortion.
No. Alexa on the echo has a microphone array that allows for beamforming. That is why a device as large as the echo can 'hear' better than an iOS device with a single microphone.
The Kinect had a 4-element array and the Echo has a 7-element array.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beamforming
Alexa sits in the middle of a 40 foot room. I can speak to her from any where in the room, and it works. Shouting is not required. Speaking to Siri from a few inches away fails a large percentage of the time. Alexa is reliable, and Siri isn't.