iPhone’s Siri becoming a better conversationalist

Siri, the voice-activated “personal assistant” on the iPhone 4S, is set to become a better conversationalist. Apple TV has released new ads with actor John Malkovich having what appears the most charming chat of his life with Siri. “That’s pretty good advice, actually,” Malkovich told Siri after she defines “life” and tells him to avoid fat, read good books, take walks, and “live together in peace and harmony” with everyone.

However, there have been complaints from iPhone 4S owners that Siri isn’t such a scintillating conversationalist. Siri often fails to understand what is spoken to her, and many of her responses are little more than lists of Google search results. Some iPhone 4S users have filed a class-action suit against Apple, claiming Siri doesn’t work as well as advertised. In the months since Siri’s October 2011 debut, Siri has been “studying up and learning a lot more,” said Apple Senior Vice President Scott Forstall. Apple is reportedly equipping Siri with new databases of knowledge, including the ability to retrieve sports scores. Siri will be able to open an app for you, search movie showtimes, post Facebook updates, make restaurant reservations, and provide turn-by-turn navigation to drivers with Apple’s new maps application. The advanced Siri is scheduled to debut this fall as part of iOS 6, the company’s next mobile operating system.