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Apple's latest attempt to launch the new Siri runs into snags

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Re: Apple's latest attempt to launch the new Siri runs into snags

#151
post #14

I feel like the difference between Steve Jobs’ and Tim Cook’s leadership styles is that Cook is really good at optimizing existing processes, but does not have the vision to capitalize on what’s next. Apple got into the smartphone game at the right time with a lot of new ideas. But whatever the next big shift in technology is, they will be left behind. I don’t know if that is AI, but it’s clear that in AI they are al…

This not about leadership.

It's about product specification. There's no way it fits into their ecosystem without compromising it. Everyone else has compromised theirs and their customers. Apple do not want to do this. I suspect they will fail on AI but will win in the long run as competitors screw their customers over.

Re: Apple's latest attempt to launch the new Siri runs into snags

#152
post #14

I feel like the difference between Steve Jobs’ and Tim Cook’s leadership styles is that Cook is really good at optimizing existing processes, but does not have the vision to capitalize on what’s next. Apple got into the smartphone game at the right time with a lot of new ideas. But whatever the next big shift in technology is, they will be left behind. I don’t know if that is AI, but it’s clear that in AI they are al…

You're dreaming. I'm not an Apple fanboy, but Apple have an almost infinite runway to get AI right if they wanted to ... but just like they haven't invested billions to chase Search, so they'd be fine riding the AI wave getting paid billions to have third party AI put on their device.

Re: Apple's latest attempt to launch the new Siri runs into snags

#153

It's hard to imagine that just killing off Siri would hurt iPhone sales. It would be interesting to know how many people actually use, or even want Siri, or any type of voice assistant for that matter. The primary value of Siri is to check a box for investors, who are riding the AI wave. The same people how rode the voice assistant wave 15 years ago. There's a lot of AI features that makes sense for Apple to include…

Designed my entire house around Siri with HomePods in every room. We use it to control the lights, blinds, heated floor, play music, turn on the tv, etc. Would be great if it could do more.

Re: Apple's latest attempt to launch the new Siri runs into snags

#154
post #26
post #14

I feel like the difference between Steve Jobs’ and Tim Cook’s leadership styles is that Cook is really good at optimizing existing processes, but does not have the vision to capitalize on what’s next. Apple got into the smartphone game at the right time with a lot of new ideas. But whatever the next big shift in technology is, they will be left behind. I don’t know if that is AI, but it’s clear that in AI they are al…

Just my opinion: Apple doesn't need to solve AI. It's not core to their business in the same way that search engines aren't core to their business. What Apple does best lies at the combination of hardware, software, physical materials, and human-computer interface design. This is why they're spending so much more on mixed reality than AI, even knowing that a product like the Vision Pro today isn't going to be a big s…

Maybe have a look at this video from 1987. After sidelining Steve, John Sculley came up with the term PDA and intended to evolve that vision as the mission of Apple, beginning with the breakthrough Apple Newton that ran on DEC's revolutionary StrongARM chip (that was based on ARM's IP that Apple co-developed).

https://youtu.be/umJsITGzXd0 (I cannot find any of the old ATG videos featuring Agent Pierre online which was the same concept only shorter, less boring and funny.)

PS: One of the first things Steve did upon returning to Apple after a decade was to reciprocate by KILLLING OFF Sculley's baby (Apple Newton). As far as its replacement (iPad) that reportedly was developed (but not released) before iPhone, it really has always been a dumpster fire software wise (but the same can't really be said of the iPhone variant, which was brilliant for a phone form factor, at least for a while there), not because Apple didn't have capability to do a tablet right, but because of Apple's INTERNAL POLITICS (like https://youtu.be/J7al_Gpolb8?t=2286]) FWIW, I sense now that Apple is finally about to unify macOS and i{Pad}OS for its upcoming generation of devices and shift to multi-modal UX, getting us back to Sculley's original PDA vision.

Re: Apple's latest attempt to launch the new Siri runs into snags

#155
post #104

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don’t think Apple or Microsoft (via Windows) will dominate AI. There’s just too much value in the AI being in the cloud (big powerful models vs local) and across your devices (more context on you, running on low powered edge devices like watches, glasses, smart home devices), and the idea of an OS being a decisive factor is already fading with how much work people do in a browser or cloud app.

I think there's room for multiple approaches here. Cloud based AI obviously has a lot of advantages e.g. batched proccessing on the best hardward, low power edge devices, data sharing, etc. There's still room for local inference though. I don't know that I want "more context on me" all the time. I want some context, some of the time and I want to be in full control of it. I'd pay for that. I don't think it will be fo…

Definitely room for multiple approaches, including local LLMs.

But I just don't think for most users that local LLM capabilities will be a deciding factor in either hardware or OS choices.

A cloud subscription model will be the premium offering ($20 for consumers, $100 to $1000 or pay-per-token for businesses), and inevitably something ad-supported at a lower price or free for low-end consumers.

Once Joe Consumer has access to that subscription ChatGPT or free tier, are they really going to run a far-less-powerful model on their laptop? Outside of a few simple tasks like semantic search in your email, notes, photos; or localized transcription, local models will just be too far behind the curve for the public to make much use of them.

Re: Apple's latest attempt to launch the new Siri runs into snags

#156
post #147
post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Just my opinion: Apple doesn't need to solve AI. It's not core to their business in the same way that search engines aren't core to their business. What Apple does best lies at the combination of hardware, software, physical materials, and human-computer interface design. This is why they're spending so much more on mixed reality than AI, even knowing that a product like the Vision Pro today isn't going to be a big s…

> What Apple does best lies at the combination of hardware, software, physical materials, and human-computer interface design. And they’re failing at that too! I purchased an iPhone 16e thinking it would be like the iPhone SE, but what I got was worse than an SE. They used an old chip and I can tell you this phone cannot keep up with liquid glass, which they forced me to use and did not let me roll back. And now we h…

> [the iPhone 16e] used an old chip

What? It has the same RAM size, same RAM speed, and same chip[0] (minus one (1) GPU core [6c, 4g, 16n]) as the iPhone 16 [6c, 5g, 16n] (and almost the same as the A18 Pro [6c, 5g, 16n] minus the enhanced memory bandwidth and video encoding, afaict.)

(I mean, sure, it's an old chip compared to the 17 but then it's a generation older and saying "they used an old chip" is a nonsense truism.)

[0] https://www.apple.com/uk/iphone/compare/?modelList=iphone-16...

Re: Apple's latest attempt to launch the new Siri runs into snags

#157
post #123

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do you actually want that built into the OS? To me, this is an app but an invasion of privacy if it’s integrated into the OS.

After having given Openclaw a try as my "personal assistant" for a day when traveling, I 100% want this to be one possible way I can interact with my computer going forward. Of course it's failed hilariously in many instances, is currently not private (I want local inference before giving it access to anything material, or it'll indeed be a privacy nightmare), and crashes all the time, but the fact that a (not yet) w…

Are you sure a tool that a tool that

> failed hilariously in many instances, is currently not private, and crashes all the time, a (not yet) walking, talking CVE

Is actually doing a better job than not doing any of that at all? This isn’t a life or death situation where something is better than nothing out of desperation. Sometimes if you can’t do it right it’s better to not do it at all. Better to wait for the full meal instead of having a “slop snack”.

I can do a terrible job at transplanting brains in robotic bodies. Terrible. Which is more than any company can do so yay?

Some things are worse than nothing in terms of quality or liability.

Re: Apple's latest attempt to launch the new Siri runs into snags

#158
post #134
post #120

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Apple doesn't need to solve AI. It's not core to their business in the same way that search engines aren't core to their business. Apple's core business is providing well-crafted products and user interfaces for all kinds of interactions. Do you really think AI/LLMs won't change the way we use computers? > They can trivially pay Google a billion a year for Gemini. I'd be willing to bet that in less than 5 years, th…

Well-crafted products and user interfaces like butterfly keyboards, antennas, Leopard, Tahoe? Or maybe Pippin, A/UX, OpenDoc, Copland?

If your high-profile misses become the subject of both memes and major news stories I'd say you are still the benchmark in UX, yes.

Even "Apple design has peaked" is a meme if you've been following this stuff for more than just one decade. (Sure, one day it'll most likely be true, but that doesn't make everyone predicting it now a prophet retroactively.)

Re: Apple's latest attempt to launch the new Siri runs into snags

#159
post #123

Earlier quoted context omitted.

After having given Openclaw a try as my "personal assistant" for a day when traveling, I 100% want this to be one possible way I can interact with my computer going forward. Of course it's failed hilariously in many instances, is currently not private (I want local inference before giving it access to anything material, or it'll indeed be a privacy nightmare), and crashes all the time, but the fact that a (not yet) w…

Are you sure a tool that a tool that > failed hilariously in many instances, is currently not private, and crashes all the time, a (not yet) walking, talking CVE Is actually doing a better job than not doing any of that at all? This isn’t a life or death situation where something is better than nothing out of desperation. Sometimes if you can’t do it right it’s better to not do it at all. Better to wait for the full…

Yes, it's significantly better than nobody doing any of this for me, and the important thing for the purpose of this prediction is that the error rate still seems to be going down exponentially with time.

> This isn’t a life or death situation where something is better than nothing out of desperation.

That's exactly where it would make sense to try a new thing then, no?

> I can do a terrible job at transplanting brains in robotic bodies.

Sounds like a much more high stakes activity than telling me factoids around my travel itinerary, so I agree that we shouldn't have you run the neurosurgery department yet, yes.

Re: Apple's latest attempt to launch the new Siri runs into snags

#160

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Uh, I think Apple had proven themselves many times that they're the one to bring something new and advanced. It started with MacBooks, then iPhones, a digital assistant, TouchID, Airpods, FaceID, fan-less MacBooks and probably more stuff. Is it not enough?

You have only listed hardware, no software (I don't count "A digital assistant" because I don't know what it refers to).

> I don't count "A digital assistant" because I don't know what it refers to

You haven't heard of Siri?

I don't see the OP stating he only talked about software, and what I mentioned also software in it.

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