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AI is a technology not a product

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Re: AI is a technology not a product

#111

Post by copperx »

justonceokay wrote: post #32
otterley wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Working backwards" is also, famously, Amazon's philosophy. It's one of my most cherished takeaways from working there.

Once I extracted the medicine from the poison I am very glad that Amazon was my first corporate work experience. Many of the leadership principles and cultural norms there are actually very good ideas when not taken to extremes. I remember my first meeting I went to at another company that was just a guy talking with a PowerPoint. I couldn’t believe we didn’t have the data or time to ask probing questions. We’re just…

Please go on. You mean at Amazon you would be grilled with questions if you were the presenter?

Re: AI is a technology not a product

#112

Post by amelius »

rglover wrote: post #2

Steve already gave away the secret [1] (must watch) a long time ago: "You have to work backwards from the customer experience." AI was never going to be on Apple's roadmap in a significant way because it's in their DNA to differentiate technology from products. [1] https://youtu.be/oeqPrUmVz-o?si=ndUU1H5D3pNifWss

> "You have to work backwards from the customer experience."

Ok. Let's try that with some basic needs. And I'm totally serious. Let's go. I am abroad, walking in a city. I look for a book store. I get my Apple phone, open maps, OK, that works.

Now I have to go to the bathroom. Hmm, is there an app for that?

How do I convert this phone into a nice and clean toilet? Stupid question you say? I'm the user, remember, and I have __one__ need right now.

Wait, I'm supposed to use maps again to find a public toilet? Chances are it's going to be smelly and dirty. Not the great UX I am looking for, Apple.

Seriously, Apple has been addressing the wrong problems for far too long now. They are not looking from the user's perspective, but rather from the viewpoint of: we have a CPU and a touchscreen and a camera, what can we make with that so that more people will buy it? And how can we sell people even more stuff __through__ it?

But of what use is a better camera if the device can't even solve basic needs?

If you want to call yourself a revolutionary company, you gotta step back and think different.

Re: AI is a technology not a product

#113

Post by selectively »

ebbi wrote: post #91

For those that care, Gruber (author of this blog), said the following about news about the Genocide in Palestine: Quote tweeting a NYTimes post detailing war crimes "As Israeli forces entered Gaza on Friday to fight Hamas, phone and internet service was severed for 34 hours. Most people in Gaza had no way to reach the outside world..." Gruber wrote "F*k around and find out." Quote tweeting a post by the UN Human Righ…

Gruber is a monstrous person. He's also written many different pieces that are more or less content-free anti-Korean racist screeds. The world would be much better if he'd retire and never speak in public again.

Re: AI is a technology not a product

#114

Post by paulhebert »

kibwen wrote: post #52
tobr wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> This isn’t necessary fancy, just let me set some calendar events without knowing the magic words or tell it to open Overcast and play the new Gastropod episode. Better yet, for power users, let me set up reusable shortcuts using natural language. Isn’t this the proverbial ”faster horse”? Ie let me do exactly what I can do now, in a very slightly different, possibly very slightly more convenient way?

If the user asks for a faster horse and you sell them a car, you win. If the user asks for a faster horse and you sell them a trebuchet, you lose, no matter how fast the trebuchet would technically get them to their destination.

Also, some people just want a faster horse

Re: AI is a technology not a product

#115

Post by basisword »

coffeefirst wrote: post #11

Agreed. The ideal implementation of AI for Apple is probably to finally make Siri work. This isn’t necessary fancy, just let me set some calendar events without knowing the magic words or tell it to open Overcast and play the new Gastropod episode. Better yet, for power users, let me set up reusable shortcuts using natural language. The most important part of this is it doesn’t necessarily feel like AI. The user does…

Exactly this. I use Siri for two things: remind me x at date/time and set a timer for x. And it even screws these up 10% of the time. If you make those work flawlessly but it also works with any app on the device I'm sold. I'd even buy a new device if it was limited to that. Let OpenAI and Anthropic worry about changing how we work in a revolutionary way. Whatever the outcome is there people still need great products to do ordinary things and that's where Apple has always excelled.

It's crazy to me that even with a strong accent ChatGPT can nail my voice messages. If Siri can suddenly do that (and there's no reason it can't anymore) the device becomes much more useful to everyone that doesn't speak English and doesn't have an American accent.

Re: AI is a technology not a product

#116

Post by paulhebert »

paul7986 wrote: post #86
kjkjadksj wrote: post #68

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Now I’m picturing a dystopia movie. No one knows how to plan any events anymore, some event appears in their calendar and they show up and find some people there matched to their profile. People get silenced from certain events and can’t get back in. Like a personalized music playlist but it’s your entire life. People forget how to organize and create original ideas, and any prospect of revolution becomes as likely a…

Could be where things go…UX is all about less is more ..less steps. Time will tell.

That’s the simplistic view of UX thats commonly sold.

Less steps isn’t always better. Friction has its place.

A basic example is an “Are you sure?” confirmation before a destructive action.

I wish there wasn’t so much focus on “less clicks.” It’s often to the company’s benefit at the detriment of the user

Re: AI is a technology not a product

#117

Post by basisword »

tobr wrote: post #48
coffeefirst wrote: post #11

Agreed. The ideal implementation of AI for Apple is probably to finally make Siri work. This isn’t necessary fancy, just let me set some calendar events without knowing the magic words or tell it to open Overcast and play the new Gastropod episode. Better yet, for power users, let me set up reusable shortcuts using natural language. The most important part of this is it doesn’t necessarily feel like AI. The user does…

> This isn’t necessary fancy, just let me set some calendar events without knowing the magic words or tell it to open Overcast and play the new Gastropod episode. Better yet, for power users, let me set up reusable shortcuts using natural language. Isn’t this the proverbial ”faster horse”? Ie let me do exactly what I can do now, in a very slightly different, possibly very slightly more convenient way?

Nothing wrong with a faster horse when AI isn't reliable enough yet to produce the car. Don't leave me with my aging horse while you cross your fingers that something better might come along someday.

Re: AI is a technology not a product

#118

Post by paulhebert »

amelius wrote: post #112
rglover wrote: post #2

Steve already gave away the secret [1] (must watch) a long time ago: "You have to work backwards from the customer experience." AI was never going to be on Apple's roadmap in a significant way because it's in their DNA to differentiate technology from products. [1] https://youtu.be/oeqPrUmVz-o?si=ndUU1H5D3pNifWss

> "You have to work backwards from the customer experience." Ok. Let's try that with some basic needs. And I'm totally serious. Let's go. I am abroad, walking in a city. I look for a book store. I get my Apple phone, open maps, OK, that works. Now I have to go to the bathroom. Hmm, is there an app for that? How do I convert this phone into a nice and clean toilet? Stupid question you say? I'm the user, remember, and…

I’m not sure what you’re getting at here. You want iPhones to be able to differentiate and find clean bathrooms on the fly?

Re: AI is a technology not a product

#119

Post by basisword »

m463 wrote: post #75
rglover wrote: post #2

Steve already gave away the secret [1] (must watch) a long time ago: "You have to work backwards from the customer experience." AI was never going to be on Apple's roadmap in a significant way because it's in their DNA to differentiate technology from products. [1] https://youtu.be/oeqPrUmVz-o?si=ndUU1H5D3pNifWss

"You have to work backwards from the customer experience." answer... ditch phone/screen, just have an earpod you talk to.

Who wants to talk to an earpod in 95%+ of real world situations? I remember the original Siri ads where a guy was configuring his schedule via Siri on a run. 15 years later and most of the world still thinks you're a doofus if you're running and talking to your voice assistant. Some things will never change.

Re: AI is a technology not a product

#120

Post by justonceokay »

copperx wrote: post #111
justonceokay wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Once I extracted the medicine from the poison I am very glad that Amazon was my first corporate work experience. Many of the leadership principles and cultural norms there are actually very good ideas when not taken to extremes. I remember my first meeting I went to at another company that was just a guy talking with a PowerPoint. I couldn’t believe we didn’t have the data or time to ask probing questions. We’re just…

Please go on. You mean at Amazon you would be grilled with questions if you were the presenter?

Standard procedure at the time for a meeting was:

- no PowerPoint

- 1-6 page write up of the problem, proposed solution and timeline, and alternate methods that were not chosen

- meeting participants ideally have already read the paper, but given 10-20 minutes in silence to read and mark up their thoughts.

- presenter says their piece, mostly just summarizing the paper and clarifying tricky sections

- intellectual bloodbath as all participants try to poke holes and see around corners not foreseen by the presenter

- follow up next week, until the group/manager is satisfied about the direction of the project

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