Apple has continued to tout its Siri technology as the next big advancement in mobile technology, yet company co-founder Steve Wozniak has been complaining lately that the technology has actually been getting worse since it was acquired by Apple.
Speaking to a reporter from the Times Union Steve says he initially loved Siri because it could accurately answer questions such as “What are the five largest lakes in California?” and “What are the prime numbers greater than 87?” (91). To which Wozniak replied, “It’s incredible. It’s like it understands ‘greater than.’”
Those original answers were based off Wolfram Alpha, a structured data system that Siri first used, however as Wozniak points out, users must now access that option by saying “Wolfram Alpha” which he believes was not a smart move on Apple’s part.
Wozniak also notes that his former question about California Lakes now brings up lakefront properties while his question about prime numbers now displays information about prime ribs.
The Union asks Wozniak why Apple’s Siri program has managed to fall apart to which he responded:
“I’d like to know. I was very disappointed…It should be smart enough to look at the word you say and know what you’re asking and if you say ‘five largest,’ it should know ‘I can’t use a Google search, I have to use a Wolfram Alpha search.’”
In a Fortune Magazine article one insider noted:
“People are embarrassed by Siri. Steve [Jobs] would have lost his mind over Siri.”
Fear not Apple fandom, Wozniak is sure Apple will fix the issues associated with Siri and that the technology will only get better over time.
