Apple's (AAPL -0.35%) Siri voice interface has struggled to win fans since its introduction. Now, the Mac maker is taking steps to the fix the system, Fool contributor Tim Beyers says in the following video.
Last week the company acquired Novauris Technologies of the U.K. to improve the technology behind Siri. Financial terms weren't disclosed, though history says it likely wasn't a big cost. Apple tends to buy expertise and then use the talent to create entirely new revenue streams.
In this case, Apple is getting Novauris co-founders Melvyn Hunt and John Bridle, who in 1992 founded Dragon Systems' U.K. research and development subsidiary. Today, the Dragon speech engine is the foundation of Nuance Communications' dictation products.
Can Novauris help Apple's Siri? The technology certainly looks interesting, Tim says. Rather than focus on words or sequences of words, Novauris says its "NovaSearch" engine is designed to recognize entire phrases and then compare its findings against some 245 million known items.
That's a potentially significant advantage, and it comes at an interesting time. Microsoft (MSFT 1.82%) recently introduced its Cortana voice assistant for Windows phone, while Google has made its own "Google Now" voice-activated search system standard on Android phones and an option for iOS devices.
Now it's your turn to weigh in. How do you see Apple's Siri faring in this increasingly competitive market? Please watch the video to get the full story, and then leave a comment to let us know what you think, including whether you would buy, sell, or short Apple stock at current prices.
