AAPL Apple Inc

By Joanna Stern   Tim Cook 

Apple CEO

1 Infinite Loop

Cupertino, CA 95015

Dear Mr. Cook,

I hope you had a great long weekend. The weather in New York was beautiful.

I'll cut the small talk, though. I want to tell you about something that's been happening on my iPhone.

See, I have this folder called Apple Apps. It used to be full of the undeletable apps I had no use for -- Compass, Tips, Contacts. I mean, does anyone, even at Apple, use Find Friends?

But lately the folder has been growing as I add once-essential apps, including Photos, Music and Mail. Your competitors -- Google, Facebook, Microsoft and others -- have been releasing superior services that have taken their spots. And while Siri is still at thumb's reach, I find myself talking far more to Amazon's Alexa these days.

My iPhone is still reaping the benefits of the expanding smart tech universe, but it isn't because of services made in Cupertino.

At Facebook and Google developer conferences over the past few weeks, your competitors demonstrated a future of artificially intelligent software that can take care of things for us -- even on Apple devices.

You may not see this as a problem as long as the millions of iPhone owners use what you put on their plate. And I get that you're focused on the features you think most people want to use. But if Apple can't keep up, the iPhone risks becoming an empty shell for other companies' services.

Why do I care when I already benefit from the other options? Your users expect superior hardware and software integration, with services and apps that compete -- all the while protecting user data, as has been your stated mission. That's what I hope to see at your upcoming developer conference, and here are particular areas where I hope to see it:

Smarter Siri

Five years in, Siri is still great for setting an alarm or making a phone call. But she can't carry on a conversation or execute complex tasks across many apps and services the way her rivals can.

Amazon's Alexa is only in the Echo speaker in my living room, not with me 24/7, yet she is the closest thing I have to a computer-based valet. Alexa is always listening, quicker to respond (even if she doesn't always know the answer as well as Siri) and works with third-party apps.

She can get me an Uber, she can order flowers via 1-800-FLOWERS, she can play Backstreet Boys on Spotify. Plus, unlike the hands-free "Hey Siri" prompt on my iPhone 6s, I don't have to scream her name repeatedly when standing on the other side of the room. Microsoft's Cortana integrated in Windows 10 may not yet work with third-party apps, either, but it is similarly responsive on the Dell XPS 13 from a few feet away.

The upcoming Google Assistant also promises to be able to carry a conversation. Available across apps and in a new Google Home speaker, the nongendered assistant will be able to help buy movie tickets and make dinner reservations without you typing or tapping.

I hope the reports that you may be rolling out third-party app support for Siri and integrating her into the Mac are true. Your colleagues at Apple wouldn't comment on the speculation when I asked.

Still, that won't beat Google's real competitive advantage: data-driven, predictive suggestions. While Siri reminded me that I had to leave for my 3 p.m. flight to Hong Kong on Monday, the Google iPhone app did that, too -- and then piled on loads of helpful information: currency exchange, weather forecast, time zone info, even tourist destinations I should consider seeing. Siri exhibited similar shortcomings on the road when I compared your CarPlay to Google's Android Auto.

What makes Google better at this, of course, is its cloud-based data collection. It has records of what I search for in its search engine or in its Maps service, and also knows the contents of my email. By crunching all of that, Google has a pretty good picture of me.

You, on the other hand, have said Apple doesn't want my data. You do most of the processing on the phone itself, away from the eyes of advertisers or hackers. While I applaud and appreciate your assurance of privacy, my worry is that you simply can't afford to maintain that mentality when the competition has such a great advantage -- and users haven't shied away from their services.

At what point do you admit you need more user data? Your users trust you, but I don't envy your position.

Smarter Messenger

The most important social network in my life is found inside my Apple Messages app, but Apple is blowing a huge opportunity.

It isn't just that you're missing stickers or animated GIFs (but please, can we get those and an easier way to search emojis? Third-party keyboards can be a hassle). Within Facebook Messenger, you can send money to a friend, order an Uber, even get fairly quick customer service from airlines like United and Delta. The app is a new portal to the Internet.

Facebook, Google and Microsoft are betting big on "bots" -- robots you can have two-way conversations with. I don't entirely buy it, especially since Facebook's implementation is quite bad right now. I don't want to chat with a CNN news bot who spams me with news I don't care about, or a travel-booking bot who asks incessant questions about my preferences.

Instead, something like Google's Allo seems far more appealing. In the forthcoming messaging app for iOS and Android, you'll be able to chat with the assistant to have it do things for you, including get the news, travel times -- essentially anything you could search the Web for. It can even suggest responses or Web searches while you're in conversations with other humans.

The biggest weakness of Messages? Once-a-year updates. Forget the big-feature reveal, just start rolling out improvements like others do. It also would be great if the service worked on the Web, Windows and Android. This is one of the most important services you have -- treat it that way.

Smarter Photos and Music

Your lack of deep data mining is hurting you in less obvious places, too. I've replaced your Music and Photos apps with ones that work harder for me behind the scenes.

It wasn't only the original bugs and issues that landed Music in my hidden folder, or the fact that on my Mac, I have to use the awful iTunes software to access it. It was that Apple Music doesn't try hard enough to understand me. Spotify is front and center on my homescreen because every week it creates a tailored playlist just for me based on what I like to listen to. It nails the suggestions and helps me discover new artists.

Apple Music does have a fabulous selection of playlists. Yet even though it's meant to be tailored for me, it never feels like it totally gets the real me. At least not well enough to take me in new, unexpected directions. Plus, Spotify has that social integration. I love seeing what my friends are listening to.

Photos has suffered a similar fate. Like Apple Photos, Google Photos lets you search by location or face. But Google trumps Apple with deeper image recognition. Type in "wedding" and "mom" and it brings up all photos I've taken at weddings with my mom. Then the app's assistant automatically creates GIFs, albums or collages with new photos and old. There's also that free, unlimited storage for lower resolution images, while iCloud costs $3 a month for 200GB.

Whether it's Alexa chiming in when I have to take the chicken out of the oven or Google sensing my plan and providing travel time to the mall, these are glimpses of a future that isn't dominated by little devices we control with taps and clicks.

Five short years from now, what will Apple's role be when the interface is everywhere? Your superior hardware may continue to be at the center of it all, but will you also create the smarts -- inside computers, homes and even cars -- that will power our lives?

Speaking of, feel free to share any of those car plans with me ASAP.

Sincerely,

Joanna

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

May 31, 2016 15:03 ET (19:03 GMT)

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