Siri: Set a Timer for 14 Years

Intro

It’s October 4, 2011 and Apple introduces Siri, the personal voice assistent. The first live demo shows how Siri answers the question “How’s the weather today” and Siri’s first voice answers the question perfectly. It’s a question that I still hear a lot when people are demoing voice assistants.

At introduction the Siri feature was described as “Your intelligent assistant that helps you get things done just by asking”.

The cool part of the “What’s the weather” demo is that it understands what you mean by that even if you ask it differently, as you can also ask if you should bring an umbrella or if it’s going to rain.

Over the years Siri got to help you get more things done and started to be part of how I use my Apple products. For the 14 years that Siri has been around it got a lot of hate for not being reliable, unable to do the things people are asking for or not understanding your request. It’s not perfect, it’s not a human assistant.

I believe it’s about how a customer benefits from a feature, and for me, Siri provides more advantages than drawbacks.

If Siri stopped working today or if Apple would remove it I would really miss it.

I use Siri everyday.

For example I use it to play music on my HomePod or skip a song on my AirPods.

And sometimes it doesn’t understand me, but that happens to the best of us.

A couple more things getting done just by asking Siri are:

Setting a timer. Checking the temperature. Dimming the lights or setting a scene. Making calculations. Finding a song using Shazam. Setting reminders. Or setting the right subtitle language when watching a movie. English is not my first language. Or reading articles out loud, and this is actually one of my favorites. If you have an iPhone, open up an article in Safari, activate Siri, and ask it to read this out loud. Siri understands what “this” means and starts to read the article in the latest natural voice, which has improved so much over the years.

Like I mentioned before It’s not always perfect and it can be frustrating when it takes longer to do something through Siri then to get to your phone and get the thing done manually. I had someone being called without meaning to call them. Sometimes that leads to a fun conversation and sometimes it’s an awkward one, I guess that’s part of life anyway.

But if you can use Siri successfully for a couple of things you like to do throughout the day it actually adds value to your life and I think that’s the point of this episode. Like mentioned before, it helps you get things done just by asking.

Find the things it can do for you.

And the most impressive part is that Siri learns what you need. Not who you are. Your requests do not leave your device, unless you choose to share it. On-device intelligence lets Siri learn your preferences and what you might want — but it takes some time and while learning it maintains your privacy.

Now, more recently Apple announced an even more personal Siri as part of Apple Intelligence and there’s certainly a lot of criticism surrounding that feature, or rather lack thereof after announcing it nine months ago.

I won’t delve into that aspect. It’s understandable that Apple should handle such announcements with caution and ensure they’re done right. Unfortunately, it seems that Apple fell short of expectations in this regard.

Apple maintains an exceptionally high standard, and they’re actually pioneering a new approach in this field. Apple most of the time is not the first to introduce a new technology but they’re often the best and strive to integrate them seamlessly into the products and services that we use everyday.

Just as the original Siri performed well when it was first launched, it wasn’t perfect for everyone, but it can still be a valuable tool for many users. It’s worth noting that not everyone uses their phones in the same way. I recently came across an article about a phone called “The Light Phone.” They had released a third generation. It’s a really minimalist phone with a couple of tools like navigation, calls, texts, music and a couple other things. But there was no app store or browser. It’s not based on Android or iOS. So I read some reviews, and the authors shared a commonality that while the phone was cool, they were missing a specific feature that would make it perfect for them. This sentiment highlights the universal human desire for personalized features that make a product truly exceptional for their needs and wants.

An advantage of the smartphone is that it can be modified, setup and streamlined to our likings. Tech companies showcase a range of features that can enhance our lives and while not everyone may be able to utilize all of the features all of the time, they provide a glimpse into the potential of that device. By identifying the features that resonate with you, you can customize your smartphone to suit your needs and make it an effective tool for your daily activities.

Similarly, Siri offers a wide range of capabilities. While it may not always be reliable or perfect, it can still be a valuable assistant. If you find a few features that work well for you, they can significantly enhance your user experience. Apple also continuously improved Siri over the years that people somehow forget. Let me refresh your memory:

After the first year in 2012 Apple added more languages, sport scores, movie showtimes and recommendations with iOS 6

In 2013 with iOS 7 it got a more natural-sounding voice and search integration. In 2014 with iOS 8 you were able to use Siri hands-free when plugged in and recognize a song with Shazam. In 2015 with iOS 9 we got HomeKit integration to control your smart home accessories and app suggestions.

In 2016 with iOS 10 Siri was able to access third-party apps with again an improved voice in and in 2017 the translate feature was introduced in iOS 11 together with access to the introduced HomePod. In 2018 with iOS 12 we got Siri Shortcuts for custom voice commands and in 2019 with iOS 13 we got AirPods message announcements with an even more natural voice.

In 2020 with iOS 14 Siri no longer takes up the full screen with a more compact UI and on-device processing makes for faster responses and even better privacy. Then in 2021 we got offline Siri for smaller local tasks with iOS 15 and Siri can be used via third-party HomeKit accessories together with the intercom feature.

Then in 2022 with iOS 16 Siri adds the ability to run shortcuts as soon as an app is downloaded without requiring upfront setup and improved dictation gave us automatic punctuation. In 2023 we no longer needed to say “Hey” from “Hey Siri” as part of iOS 17 and later in the year got another update to Siri for Apple Watch to answer health requests on-device for improved privacy.

And here we are for the first time to wait a little longer for a major improvement next to the year-over-year improvements we got to Siri without missing a beat.

I understand that some customers may have purchased the iPhone solely for the promise of Apple Intelligence. While it may not be fully functional at this time, the absence of certain features now does not mean you will miss out on them in the future. And if the past 14 years proves any credit, Siri will undoubtedly evolve and become the most advanced version yet.

Links

Siri introduction: Apple Event, October 2011