Liberal leaders say they have a plan for a new, more effective anti-Trump resistance    Stampedes at Christmas charity events kill 67 people in Nigeria    A man's suicide leads to clamor around India's dowry law    Slovak PM meets Putin in surprise Moscow visit    Environment minister inaugurates Yanbu Grain Handling Terminal    Saudi deputy FM meets Sudan's Sovereign Council chief in Port Sudan    Kuwait, India to elevate bilateral relations to strategic partnership Sheikh Mishal awards Mubarak Al-Kabir Medal to Modi    MoH to penalize 5 health practitioners for professional violations    Al-Samaani: Saudi Arabia to work soon on a comprehensive review of the legal system    Arabian Gulf Cup begins with dramatic draws and a breathtaking ceremony in Kuwait    GACA report: 928 complaints filed by passengers against airlines in November    Riyadh Season 5 draws record number of over 12 million visitors    Fury vs. Usyk: Anticipation builds ahead of Riyadh's boxing showdown    Saudi Arabia to compete in 2025 and 2027 CONCACAF Gold Cup tournaments    Marianne Jean-Baptiste on Oscars buzz for playing 'difficult' woman    PDC collaboration with MEDLOG Saudi to introduce new cold storage facilities in King Abdullah Port Investment of SR300 million to enhance logistics capabilities in Saudi Arabia    Al Shabab announces departure of coach Vítor Pereira    My kids saw my pain on set, says Angelina Jolie    Legendary Indian tabla player Zakir Hussain dies at 73    Eminem sets Riyadh ablaze with unforgettable debut at MDLBEAST Soundstorm    Order vs. Morality: Lessons from New York's 1977 Blackout    India puts blockbuster Pakistani film on hold    The Vikings and the Islamic world    Filipino pilgrim's incredible evolution from an enemy of Islam to its staunch advocate    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Siri set to get supercharged as Apple declares war on Amazon's Alexa
Published in Alriyadh on 04 - 06 - 2017

Apple is expected to announce plans next week to make its Siri voice assistant work with a larger variety of apps, as the technology company looks to counter the runaway success of Amazon's competing Alexa service.
But the Cupertino company is likely to stick to its tested method of focusing on a small amount of features and trying to perfect them, rather than casting as wide a net as possible, according to engineers and artificial intelligence industry insiders.
Currently, Apple's Siri works with only six types of app: ride-hailing and sharing; messaging and calling; photo search; payments; fitness; and auto infotainment systems.
At the company's annual developer conference next week, it is expected to add to those categories.
Some industry-watchers have also predicted Apple will announce hardware similar to Amazon's Echo device for the home, which has been a hot-seller recently.
Apple declined comment.
But even if Siri doubles its areas of expertise, it will be a far cry from the 12,000 or so tasks that Amazon.com's Alexa can handle.
The difference illustrates a strategic divide between the two tech rivals.
Apple is betting that customers will not use voice commands without an experience similar to speaking with a human, and so it is limiting what Siri can do in order to make sure it works well.
Amazon puts no such restrictions on Alexa, wagering that the voice assistant with the most 'skills,' its term for apps on its Echo assistant devices, will gain a loyal following, even if it sometimes makes mistakes and takes more effort to use.
The clash of approaches is coming to a head as virtual assistants that respond to voice commands become a priority for the leading tech companies, which want to find new ways of engaging customers and make more money from shopping and online services.
Now, an iPhone user can say, 'Hey Siri, I'd like a ride to the airport' or 'Hey Siri, order me a car,' and Siri will open the Uber or Lyft ride service app and start booking a trip.
Apart from some basic home and music functions, Alexa needs more specific directions, using a limited set of commands such as 'ask' or 'tell.'
For example, 'Alexa, ask Uber for a ride,' will start the process of summoning a car, but 'Alexa, order me an Uber' will not, because Alexa does not make the connection that it should open the Uber 'skill.'
After some setup, Alexa can order a pizza from Domino's, while Siri cannot get a pie because food delivery is not - so far - one of the categories of apps that Apple has opened up to Siri.
'In typical Apple fashion, they've allowed for only a few use cases, but they do them very well,' said Charles Jolley, chief executive of Ozlo, maker of an intelligent assistant app.
Apple spokeswoman Trudy Muller said the company does not comment on its plans for developers.
Amazon said in a statement: 'Our goal is to make speaking with Alexa as natural and easy as possible, so we ́re looking at ways to improve this over time.'
Apple's narrower focus could become a problem, said Matt McIlwain, a venture capitalist with Seattle-based Madrona Venture Group.
The potential of Apple's original iPhone did not come to light until thousands of developers started building apps.
McIlwain said he expects Apple to add new categories at its Worldwide Developers Conference next week, but not nearly enough to match Alexa's number of skills.
'To attract developers in the modern world, you need a platform,' McIlwain said. 'If Apple does not launch a 'skills store,' that would be a mistake.'
Neither Siri nor Alexa has a clear path to making money.
Siri works as an additional tool for controlling traditional apps, and Apple pays money to owners of those apps.
Alexa's skills are free, and developers are not paid.
At the moment, because of their limits, voice apps are 'a side dish, not the entree,' according to Oren Etzioni, CEO of the Allen Institute for Artificial Intelligence.
Amazon was wise to not commit to an economic model at such an early state, Etzioni said.
'Once a successful economic model for developers emerges, people are going to gravitate to it.'
APPLE'S SIRI-DRIVEN SMART SPEAKER
The product is believed to be aimed at bringing Apple AI into the home, and will have a higher price tag that the Amazon range, which begins at $49 (£49) for the Echo Dot.
The speaker will provide a hub for appliances via Apple's HomeKit system and establish a center inside the home to lock people in to using other Apple services, according to the report.
A speaker might help customers stay loyal to other services such as Apple Music, Apple Watch, Apple TV and AirPods.
Insiders have suggested that Siri's advanced acoustics technology may give it the edge over competitors.
The company has considered including sensors that automatically adjust audio levels dependent on the acoustics of a room, insiders said.


Clic here to read the story from its source.