It’s not Consumer Reports, but we’ve entered a new era in product recommendations. Yes, folks, in the 21st century, our gadgets will recommend other gadgets to you, eliminating the human stain from the equation.
Such was the case last week when Apple’s Siri was caught saying that the best smartphone was Nokia’s Lumia 900 running Windows Phone.
What? Is Siri that stupid? Well, yes and no.
When MDN asked “What’s the best smartphone ever?” Siri responded with a searched list of the best mobile phones, and right on top was the Nokia Lumia 900 4G from AT&T.
Uh oh. How embarrassing is that?
Here’s the deal. Siri is capable of learning. Shortly thereafter, Faux News reviewed the Nokia Lumia 900 smart phone running Windows Phone.
Overall, Faux News liked the Lumia 900 but wasn’t flabbergasted by it and had no trouble listing plenty of faults.
Apparently, Siri checks the web for news and found out that the Nokia Lumia was panned by a number of reviewers, so Siri altered her recommendation, and now responds with a more discrete, “I think you’ve already answered that question” and “You’re kidding, right?”
TheNextWeb, those dirtbaggery-like folks who don’t mind using someone else’s article and treating as their own, decided to hijack the conversation and asked a Nokia Lumia 800 phone what the best smartphone ever is.
The answer? Yes, “The iPhone Is Still The Best Smartphone You Can Buy.” Windows Phone uses a combination of Microsoft’s Bing search engine and their TellMe service to come up with the right answers.
Nokia’s Microsoft-based phones may not be big sellers when compared to iPhone or Android, but they’re smart nonetheless.
ViewRoyal says
Apple was just correcting an obviously wrong answer given by Siri.
After all, most sane people don’t think that the Lumia 900 is even close to being the “best smartphone”. 😉
jackson brown says
What is really cool about Siri is Apple’s ability to make adjustments. Siri learns. That makes it topical. The real fun begins when Apple gives Siri to developers to incorporate into iOS apps.
Peter says
Actually, this is sort of the scary part…
~ Kate’s Note: Hello? Tongue in cheek! Of course Siri doesn’t check the web for news the way you and I do. Maybe next year…
First, Siri didn’t do a damn thing. It isn’t some sort of “learning AI” or anything like that. Someone noticed that when you ask, “What is the best smartphone?” it goes to Wolfram Alpha and Wolfram generates a response. Because people at Apple decided they didn’t like that response, they overrode it and put in a new one.
~ Kate’s Note: You’re probably not any fun at parties, either. Pooper.
While the question is a joke, I will agree, I’m not sure I like Apple’s response. Should Apple also weigh in on what’s the best beer? The best mattress? The best protein powder? The best juicer? How about Red Sox vs. Yankees? Redskins vs. Cowboys? How about more serious questions? Will we get Siri’s opinion on who I should vote for this November? On whether gays should be allowed to marry? On Palestine and Israel? North Korea? Universal healthcare?
~ Kate’s Note: Why not? Everybody else on the web has multiple opinions on the same issue, so, why not Siri? It’s just another step on the road to Siri becoming a sentient being. I can’t wait until she tells you what to do with yourself.
Yes, the question, “What’s the best smartphone?” is a joke and Siri’s response is as much of one as the original question. That said, Apple deciding Siri’s responses do not go along with it’s corporate ethos and changing queries to give a response which does is not what I’d want Apple to do.
~ Kate’s Note: But you’re not Apple (thankfully). If I were Apple I would have Siri do even more interaction (but would love to have a preferences panel to control Siri’s ‘attitude’).
Kevin Ing says
Apple should give Siri as much personality as we can stand. Even personality preferences (sassy vs. sedate, cute vs. serious) would be ultra cool. The future of computing starts with interaction. First, the keyboard, then the mouse, now the voice and interactivity. Wonderful.