Siri Apple’s Voice Recognition programme is famous for its mangling of regional accents. But as an article in Scientific American suggests, people’s expectations have gone through the roof. Apple now faces a class action suit, presumably from people who weren’t told what Zoroastrianism was in time for an exam or missed their cousin’s birthday. The author believes people don’t get it and his article makes the point forcefully.Link to article: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=why-siri-is-still-future1. Translation software works and the software recognises most voice patterns. But internet access, signal strength, wind noise, Glasgow; these all get in the way and we should be thankful it can turn an 18 year olds woman’s voice into cheery mockney granddad.2. The product is a hybrid trying to both record your voice with all the problems you avoid on desktop VR systems, and it’s a personal assistant. It tells you what kind of ethical coffee you should buy and whether you should read a book on something you think you might have to read a book on.3. According to Apple, the product is very much a beta release. This is geek speak for not fully tested and proven.But that’s the problem; it’s marketed as though it was as finished as the leather seats on a Bentley. The marketing suggest that this as an alpha product and that if you can’t use it properly you must be dumb. The fact is that it is an innovative product and that it will have flaws. So what about a softer launch? How about ‘Here's something new we added hope you like it. We know it’s not the finished product’.If the application chasers succeed with their claim, it will be because of what I call “humble innovation” was dismissed in favour of the usual Apple puff.Next post on Thursday: Gone Fishing or Sustainable Scampi?
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