Apple Changes the Face of Local Search
What do Kit from Knight Rider, Sonny from the movie IRobot , David from the movie A.I. and local search all have in common? The answer – Artificial Intelligence. Artificial Intelligence is defined as being the theory and development of computer systems able to perform tasks that normally require human intelligence. Thanks to Apple, you can now use A. I. in the form of voice search to perform local searches on your mobile phones.
For those of you who don’t know, local search is when a search engine is used to find a local business listing within a specific geographic area.
On October 4, 2011 Apple introduced Siri, an intelligent assistant that helps you get things done just by asking. It responds to voice commands and questions.
“Siri understands context allowing you to speak naturally when you ask it questions, for example, if you ask “Will I need an umbrella this weekend?” it understands you are looking for a weather forecast. Siri is also smart about using the personal information you allow it to access, for example, if you tell Siri “Remind me to call Mom when I get home” it can find “Mom” in your address book, or ask Siri “What’s the traffic like around here?” and it can figure out where “here” is based on your current location. Siri helps you make calls, send text messages or email, schedule meetings and reminders, make notes, search the Internet, find local businesses, get directions and more. You can also get answers, find facts and even perform complex calculations just by asking.”
It is clear that Apple has officially entered the local search arena. The Siri app pulls data from a wide range of sources including (but is not limited to) Yahoo, CityGrid and Localeze. Apple has also set up a partnership with Yelp. Scott Forstall, Apple’s iOS Chief, demonstrates a local search using Siri:
“Find me a great Greek restaurant in Palo Alto.” The phone says: “I’ve located 14 Greek restaurants. Five are in Palo Alto. I’ve sorted them by rating.”
Siri has just changed the face of local search. Currently, Google is the primary way people perform local search on their mobile devices. During its testimony in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Google admitted that two-thirds of its mobile search traffic comes from iOS devices. But with Siri, more people are expected to use their iPhones to perform local searches, without the help of Google. If a majority of iPhone users migrate over to Siri, Google will have to change its approach on mobile and local search.
