Microsoft is going up against Apple in its new video ad comparing its Cortana voice assistant to the iPhone's Siri. In the ad, Cortana, obviously, comes out as the clear winner when the two go head-to-head.
Microsoft has been proudly touting Cortana recently, which will soon arrive with the company's smartphones' Windows 8.1 upgrade, replacing the current built-in Bing search. Like Siri, Cortana can answer basic questions as well as set reminders. However, in its new ad, Cortana shows off machine learning, as well, using GPS coordinates and phone data to alert the user as needed.
In the ad, the user asks Cortana on the Nokia Lumia 635 smartphone to remember to tell his wife "Happy Anniversary" when she calls. Cortana confirms, while Siri responds with "Oh, no, I cannot do that." The user then uses Cortana to set a reminder to pick up roses when he's near a flower shop. Cortana confirms again, while Siri still cannot comply. Finally, Cortana gives the user an automatic traffic alert, leaving Siri to respond, "Now that is a smart phone."
Cortana's voice sounds more like a real person than Siri, the latter sounding eerily like the computer in "2001: A Space Odyssey." Marcus, Ash Microsoft's senior vice president of product development, said this was intentional.
"People love the fact that they can talk to this like they're talking to a real person," Ash told Business Insider.
Although you might argue that, in this case, the user should remember these anniversary-related things on his own, the ad does show a product that Microsoft believes can take on Apple, although Cortana seems more aligned with Google Now than Siri. However, all of these virtual assistants often leave users frustrated by their inability to answer more complex questions and truly anticipate and fulfill users' needs. Cortana is off to a good start, though, with its ability to set reminders based on phone calls, a service that neither Siri or Google Now offer.
Ultimately, the real winner will be decided by smartphone users when Cortana comes to Lumia Windows 8.1 phones later this year.
