An Apple Debate: Pick a Side and Wait

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I remember like it was yesterday, watching the Apple keynote where the iPhone 4s was introduced and not just was a improved version of one of the most beloved pieces of innovation tech ever (the iPhone 4), it took a shot at an incredible idea: artificial intelligence (AI), also known as Siri.

At first it had close to no machine learning (ML) and slowly but surely it began learning on the go with one thing in mind: convenience without loosing privacy. Siri had to tap into the apps that it was to get the information from and to do so could open the sandbox that Apple so much loves to maintain as a part of their privacy and policy. And now, almost 7 years since its release, Siri has invaded the ecosystem: it is in the AppleTV, AppleWatch, iPad, iPhone, MacBooks and HomePod.

Since the HomePod the debate that once had happened with Siri more than 8 years ago, resurfaced. Here's my two cents on this debate:

Siri is one of the few Non-Apple-Like kind of products. Why? Because Apple is not the first: not for the smartphone, the tablet, the laptop, the mp3, the smartwatch, etc. Apple is the best. And for Siri they were the first, which one could think would be an advantage. Unfortunately that "advantage" did not last long and today we live in a world where AI and ML are the strength of other companies like Sonos, Google and Amazon. 

So, in terms of "is Siri the best intelligent assistant out there?" Simply put no, but systematically thought out yes. Siri has not been able to adapt to the world around and while Apple has sky-rocketted since 2011 when Siri was first announced. The intelligence in the assistant can barely catch up with most of its competitors. It suffers from needing a range of specificities to provide the correct answer and that contradicts its very foundation of it being "contextual" and analyzing what is said and not how it is said. 

The Debate is whether to start over or whether to fix it... I believe there is too much built already to delete and start over... HOWEVER, Apple should strive to be the best and if that entails starting over, I know it would be a great solution. After all, the times Apple has screwed up, it has made up that mistake many times over and better. So even if my personal opinion is to clean up and improve on the already existing positive aspects of Siri, I will support their innovation teams all day any day. Apple does not lose, it either wins or learns (yeah of course that is a famous quote and I hope you guys know from whom).

I use siri EVERY SINGLE DAY. And I have realized how across devices it has learned A Lot. In the car it is the most useful, on the AppleTV it is just fun, in my AppleWatch it is always trustworthy, and in my Mac I think I use it maximum twice a month...

I believe Siri and AppleMaps are the two areas where everyone can clearly see that Apple is lacking and quite behind in comparison to the great way it leads on all other characteristics that make its products amazing. So, have the debate, make a decision, learn, don't lose and make the snow leopard of voice assistants.

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