Fair enough, I did not test Google Now for a long period of time, and I would not be able to use it as it is meant because I stopped using smartphones the way they are meant to be used many years ago (circa Nexus One). Now they are just a target platform for work, occasional mp3 player, offline map, emergency travel thingy. What you explain sounds perfectly useful if you already use an smartphone.
That Google is able to give you the information you where going to check anyway is not an small accomplishment and, while a bit creepy or invasive on sensitive data, is an amazing achievement for a search engine (I do not know for "don't be evil", but at least for "the search engine" it makes total sense).
My mind might have associated looking at a smartphone as a depressing feeling, and that would be it (and is wrong). I decided I want to spend time figuring out things by myself, even when that will cost me my own time. The backlight from the screen has something it makes me want to play with it when I am idle. Similar as my laptop at 4 AM in the morning.
What I think might explain this a little bit more, I like to see devices as what they are, hardware that can be used to do stuff. When devices start being life enhancing experiences I am out. What does bother me is that as a developer I am no longer a target for the things I do develop. The moment my 70 y.o. uncle is more connected than I am really speaks for my future in technology as a career.