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Even though Siri has changed the way a lot of people use their iPhones and iPads, there is still room for improvement in its ability to understand speech and comprehend meaning. Analyst Gene Munster has confirmed that Siri is better in iOS 7 but still grades the service at a C+.
Google’s service Google Now, which is very similar to Siri has also scored a C+ and has certainly made improvements over the past year. There is no clear winner in terms of functionality but now it comes down to the way you want to work when using your iOS device.
I love Google Maps because they are still a lot better than the Apple Maps app. Google has better business data and the turn by turn directions are better. Most importantly Google Maps ties directly into the public transportation in Denver which means I can set a route and then see what my alternatives are between driving and using the commuter rail system. It is really great.
The problem is that Siri won’t let me ask for directions using Google Maps and Google Now won’t let me put items in my iCloud calendar. It’s frustrating how polarizing this issue can be. In fact, according to Munster, Siri relies on Google for only 4{813a954d5e225a1509f22204ece89c855080ce25555f20805f61bed63cbfde3b} of its data, which is down from 27{813a954d5e225a1509f22204ece89c855080ce25555f20805f61bed63cbfde3b} last year. When Apple decides they don’t like someone, they really decide they don’t like them.
Other data published by Munster and his team show that both services continue to get better. As far as I’m concerned that is the best news surrounding this issue. It means that Apple and Google are both figuring out ways to improve how we interact with our devices. It’s almost surprising how bad they both were when initially released but those days are almost a memory. With iOS 7 we have the best Siri yet.
[via appleinsider.com]
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