Why is Siri having trouble keeping up with its competitors?

Apple's new artificial intelligence-supported Siri has improved compared to previous versions, but the gap between it and its competitors is still not closed. According to Mark Spoonauer, editor-in-chief of Tom's Guide, this vulnerability may even cause users to switch to other brands. Spoonauer thinks Siri is still limited as an everyday assistant compared to Google Gemini, ChatGPT, Alexa+ and Muse.

The starting point for the review was two reviews that Tom's Guide published this week: Apple HomeView and the new Apple TV 4K. Both reviews came to the same conclusion: Siri isn't good enough.

Even ordering pizza on HomeView is difficult

Tom's Guide editor Mike Prospero compared HomeView to the Alexa+-enabled Amazon Echo Show 8. Amazon's device was able to easily order pizza through Uber Eats. Siri only suggested calling by phone.

Other reviews point to similar problems. According to Engadget, Siri reverts to general knowledge answers when the iPhone is not nearby. Joanna Stern also wrote in her review that Siri struggled with multi-step housework, once refusing to open the front door even though it recognized her face. Not to mention, Siri in HomeView started "talking" to other Siri on phones in the house.

Weird movie recommendations on the $299 Apple TV 4K

Apple partly explains the high price of the new $299 Apple TV 4K with the Siri inside. However, the results in the tests were not bright. When asked for a horror movie for kids, Siri first said, "I can't find anything for that." On the second try, he suggested movies such as Poltergeist, Alien and Seven.

Google TV Streamer and Fire TV answered the same question with kid-friendly movies like Coraline, Goosebumps 2, Hocus Pocus and The Addams Family. "Which Audrey Hepburn movie is set in Rome?" The question resulted in a slew of Christmas movies that didn't feature Hepburn.

There is progress on the iPhone, but two major shortcomings remain

Spoonauer agrees that Siri has improved on the iPhone, especially when it comes to understanding personal context. For example, he can find a message from his daughter or perform multiple tasks consecutively with a single voice command.

Still, Siri is missing two big things: live video voice chat and powerful agent features. Spoonauer says he assigned Gemini Live to the Action button on his iPhone 17 Pro Max. The content on the screen can be shared with Siri, but the live camera view cannot be shared. According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, Apple's new CEO John Ternus asked the Siri team to speed up agent features. It is currently not possible to call an Uber or have complex tasks done in the background with Siri.

New device categories are also connected to Siri

According to Spoonauer, competitors are advancing rapidly. Google's smart glasses, starting at $395, put Gemini directly on the user's face and also work with the iPhone.

It is rumored that Apple is also working on its own smart glasses, artificial intelligence necklace and camera-equipped AirPods. All of these devices will work with Siri. According to Spoonauer, it is difficult for Apple to be successful in these new categories unless Siri reaches a sufficient level.