Siri smacked with another lawsuit over 'false' advertising

A lawsuit was filed by plaintiff David Jones on Tuesday in the U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, arguing that the advertising surrounding Apple's virtual personal assistant does not match the service's actual functionality.

"Through its nationwide multimedia marketing campaign, Apple disseminates false and deceptive representations regarding the functionality of the Siri feature," Jones charges, according to the Los Angeles Times, which obtained a copy of the suit. "For example, in many of Apple's television commercials, consumers are shown using Siri to make appointments, find restaurants, and even to learn the guitar chords to classic rock songs. In its advertisements, Apple depicts these tasks as easily accomplished 'just by asking' Siri."

According to the Times, Jones went on to say that Siri often misunderstood what he asked or delivered the wrong answer. "Promptly after the purchase of his iPhone 4S, [Fazio] realized that Siri was not performing as advertised," his complaint reads. "For instance, when [Fazio] asked Siri for directions to a certain place, or to locate a store, Siri either did not understand what Plaintiff was asking, or after a very long wait time, responded with the wrong answer."Jones' lawsuit follows a similar one brought against Apple and Siri in California earlier this month. In that case, an iPhone 4S owner, Frank Fazio, argued that Apple's Siri does not perform the way Apple claims it will in its ads.

Apple launched its Siri virtual personal assistant in October with the iPhone 4S. The software is capable of searching the Web, setting reminders, and performing other basic tasks in response to voice commands. Siri is currently in beta, which could be used as part of a defense if Apple is ever brought to court over these latest lawsuits. After all, by Apple's own admission, Siri is a work in progress.

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