I like my Apple Watch, especially for one reason: Siri on the watch does not talk. It just gives you visual feedback on the screen. But on the iPhone, Siri is quite chatty. It often reminds me of the ships computer Eddie from the Hitchikers Guide to the Galaxy.
„Hi there! I want you to know that whatever your problem, I am here to help you solve it.“
Not that I haven’t tried to turn the audio feedback off. There are three options in Siris settings:
- Always on
- Control with Ring Switch
- Hands-free only
But these last two options will not be effective, if you activate Siri with the „Hey Siri“ voice command.
„Hi there! This is Eddie, your shipboard computer, and I’m feeling just great, guys, and I know I’m just going to get a bundle of kicks out of any program you care to run through me.“
It’s creepy enough that we talk to our phones, computers and wrists, but do they really have to respond audibly?
Especially when calling someone from your adress book, Siri sometimes winches the whole phone number, digit by digit. This is when I think of Zaphod Beeblebrox:
„Computer, just do [whatever] and don’t talk about it!“