Apple has just been targeted with a new lawsuit over “misleading and deceptive” depictions of Siri in their advertisements, reports The Wall Street Journal (via MacRumors), with plaintiff Frank Fazio claiming that Apple’s depiction of Siri in the ads does not reflect how Siri actually behaves in real life.
In essence, Fazio argues that Siri isn’t nearly as easy to use as Apple’s advertisements suggest it might be:
[I]n many of Apple’s television advertisements, individuals are shown using Siri to make appointments, find restaurants, and even learn the guitar chords to classic rock songs or how to tie a tie. In the commercials, all of these tasks are done with ease with the assistance of the iPhone 4S’s Siri feature, a represented functionality contrary to the actual operating results and performance of Siri.
Fazio claims that when he attempted to use Siri to ask for directions or locate a certain place. “Siri either did not understand what Plaintiff was asking, or, after a very long wait time, responded with the wrong answer.”
The class-action lawsuit seeks damages from Apple (in an unspecified amount), and requests a court order that would prevent Apple from release any further “misleading” Siri advertisements. Apple has not formally addressed the lawsuit, but is likely to address the matter by emphasizing that Siri is still a beta feature.
It’s a pretty interesting case, to be sure – many advertisements tend to portray their products under ideal circumstances, and Apple’s Siri ads are no different. It will be very interesting to see how Apple responds to the lawsuit.
