Statements like this do nothing to advance the discussion. When you point out to Blackberry guys something simple as there's no Netflix app for BB, their first reply is always, "I'd rather watch it on my computer or a big screen TV." Or a couple years ago if you pointed out their browser sucks, the first thing you'd hear would be, "You can't browse on a small screen anyway, I'd rather use my netbook." These kinds of statements and statements like, "I have Navigon" don't address the issue, and honestly, sounds bad. It's basically "I don't have a problem, so you shouldn't either," and is really more ad hominem than an argument. The truth of the matter though, is that not everybody has the same experiences.
The fact of the matter is, and it is a fact, Siri isn't perfect. I speak mid-western English, no distinguishable accent whatsoever, and many times, Siri makes mistakes. Saying "in 2012" more often than not leads to "into thousand twelve." I also have many foreign friends, trying to get Siri to pick the right name is sometimes an exercise in futility. My solution was to give most of them nicknames. Siri also frequently times out, both on 3G and Wifi, and it can happen at home, at Starbucks, at work, anywhere. China is Apple's second largest market, and in a few years, it will probably be their largest market, yet Siri takes a very long time to respond and frequently times out. I don't know how many times I've heard "Siri is unavailable."
Ask Siri this, "Who's the National League batting champ of 2012?" Siri asks if you want a web search. Ask it this way, "Who has the highest batting average in the National League in 2012?" and it will come up with an answer. Siri should understand the former. The whole point of Siri is natural language. I can say similar things about movies and restaurants.Even something as simple as "what movies are playing near me?" I suspect a lot of dissatisfaction with Siri is from people who haven't learned the proper syntax to speak to Siri, but Siri is advertised as understanding natural language, and it should do a better job.Those ads with Zooey Deschanel and Samuel Jackson didn't help that situation.
However, even given all it's problems, I still find Siri VERY useful. I use it daily. I will never set calendar events, alarms, reminders the old way ever again. Texting and quick emails are great via Siri. Tweets are really natural via Siri. Facebook isn't significantly better for me, but that's because I almost always attach photos. Siri is a godsend when you have 200 apps and can't find the one you're looking for.
Does Siri deserve criticism. Yes it does, it is obviously, still a work in progress. It is however, a great tool and I can't imagine using a phone without Siri, or a similar "digital assistant." To ignore all criticism and simply state, "It works great for me" doesn't help anybody, least of all Apple. Apple should be made aware of problems with one of its flagship features. It doesn't help the user either, especially someone new to iPhone. Perhaps they just don't understand the syntax necessary, or they need to change their speech patterns, or perhaps they're expecting too much from Siri. Helping them understand the limits of Siri and how to get the most out of her is how you help the person.