Nguyen, who normally purrs about every iPhone like it just cured cancer, wrote: “I’m an iPhone user. These are the smart tools I’m most jealous of in Google’s new Pixel 10.” Cupertino PR must have choked on their kombucha.
For those who came in late, Job’s Mob made a lot of noise about its Apple Intelligence reboot of Siri, but there’s nothing to show for it beyond a few vague demos and a lot of smug nodding. Siri’s upgrade is still missing and the rest of it is just marketing guff.
In the meantime, Samsung has bolted Gemini AI onto its Galaxy phones and Google’s Pixel 10 is out there doing stuff. Nguyen watched it generate outfits in real time, speak fluent German in her own cloned voice and magically surface her flight reservation.
Nguyen pointed out the Pixel only holds a sliver of the market, but it’s years ahead of the iPhone in AI. Google has even taken to openly mocking Siri’s absence and nudging users to bin their iPhones.
After test-driving Google’s latest gear, Nguyen listed off working features that Job’s Mob hasn’t managed to ship: context-aware notifications, live voice translation, guided photography, and a workout coach that doesn’t yell encouragement like a drunk PE teacher.
She was most impressed by Magic Cue, a feature that quietly mines your inbox, calendar and messages, then hands over relevant info before you even remember you need it. It fetches that café your mate mentioned weeks ago and offers a calendar shortcut when plans start forming.
She described how the Pixel app knew she was ringing a restaurant, pulled up the booking, and preloaded Maps with the route without any fuss.
Voice Translate let her carry on a live conversation with a German speaker, who heard her cloned voice speak fluently in their language. A transcript in English popped up on screen. Nguyen said it would’ve been useful in France where she once struggled to convince a landlord to fix the boiler.
Pixel’s camera coach unnerved her slightly. It suggested a pose, offered instructions to the photographer, and captured a polished shot. She said it could work for LinkedIn, though admitted some versions looked like she’d slept in the alley behind a WeWork.
Edits were fast and uncannily accurate. “Make it look professional” polished the lighting and blur. “Send Nicole to outer space” dumped her in the Milky Way. “Add a business suit” got her a virtual blazer with mixed results.
She seemed most excited about a new Gemini-powered health coach arriving in October for Fitbit and Pixel Watch. It adapts to your sleep, physical feedback, and habits. Mention a sore back, and the plan changes. Apple’s “Workout Buddy,” in contrast, is about as dynamic as a sticker on a protein bar.
Nguyen noticed how Google and Samsung slap AI branding all over their kit, while Job’s Mob sheepishly mutters about “AI-opening possibilities” and hopes no one asks where Siri’s hiding.
Canalys Sheng Win Chow admitted AI isn’t the biggest selling point yet, but Google’s making the bet early. Cupertino, meanwhile, is still trying to figure out what happened to its voice assistant.
With even the Wall Street Journal sounding fed up, it’s getting harder for Job’s Mob to keep pretending its AI story is anything but a fairy tale.
