It's no secret that Apple's virtual assistant, Siri, doesn't have the best reputation -- especially when you compare it to Google's incredibly smart counterpart. But, the company has been working hard recently to make Siri more useful for those of you with an iOS or Mac device. And today, Apple announced that Siri is getting smarter thanks to a new app called Shortcuts, which will let you build your own commands with any application. With the Tile app, for example, you can say "Hey Siri, I lost my keys," and that will then alert the tiny gadget attached to your keys. You can create more shortcuts for things such as "Surf time," which will prompt Siri to look up the weather report before you head to the beach.

The Apple Watch is about to get another big tune-up, and it won't surprise you to hear that the focus is on fitness. Apple has unveiled watchOS 5, and there's a slew of updates for more competitive types. There's now automatic workout detection -- not a new feature on smartwatches, but helpful if you've ever forgotten to tap your watch before starting a run. You'll also have week-long competitions with friends, hiking and yoga workouts, a rolling mile pace and cadence (steps per minute) tracking. Siri sees some important improvements as well.

Why do you need to say Siri when you've already got your Apple Watch hovering right in front of your face? Soon, you won't have to . WatchOS 5 will drop the need for you to vocally summon Siri, instead, as soon as your raise your device up, it'll start listening to your requests, questions and messaging apps. It'll also stop those awkward Siri requests that seem to raise your phone, watch, iPad and HomePod in one single, horrific instant. Follow all the latest news from WWDC 2018 here!

The new Apple features are among the software updates previewed Monday at the company's annual Worldwide Developers Conference in San Jose, California. These and other features won't reach users for a few months; rather, they were being shown to give software developers a chance to build new apps to make iPhones and other Apple devices more useful. The next iPhone software, iOS 12, is expected in September following the announcements on new iPhones, for instance.

Federighi back, and he's turned to the "Time Well Spent" movement. "We might not recognise just how distracted we've become," he says, in a not-so-subtle dig at social networks like Facebook and Twitter. So, three updates to help that. Firstly, Do Not Disturb During Bedtime will now deliberately not show you notifications if you open your phone at night, allowing you to check the time and get back to sleep without worrying. Do Not Disturb will also allow you to activate it on a timer, or leave it on until you leave an area.

File photo: Kareem Choudhry, Xbox Vice President, introduces the Xbox One X gaming console during the Xbox E3 2017 media briefing in Los Angeles, California, U.S., June 11, 2017. It's already possible to use a digital assistant with the Xbox One games consoles, but your options are quite limited. Microsoft, as you'd expect, integrated Cortana functionality. However, using Cortana requires having the now defunct Kinect hooked up, or relying on the microphone in a headset. That could soon change, though, as there's evidence Microsoft is opening up Xbox to other assistants. As Windows Central reports, an image has appeared of a new option in the Xbox One interface under preferences for digital assistants.

The most exciting thing about smart speakers is that they are all so utterly imperfect. Each of the mainstream examples – Amazon's Echos, the Google Home, Sonos's wide range and the new Apple HomePod – packs within it stunning technology that would have been unimaginable just a couple of years ago. But they're also full of downsides, making choosing one a matter of deciding what you want, not simply settling on the best. Deciding is a matter of picking which things you want – and which things you definitely don't. Some sound good, but are terrible at talking back to you.

Salesforce software computationally qualifies and ranks leads. Calendar managers visually and acoustically suggest scheduling options and priorities. Practically everything a digitally-dependent knowledge worker sees, hears, or swipes can become a recommendation. That makes simple and engaging user experience design for management key. For Chief Marketing Officers to brand managers alike, the experience of identifying actionable analytic insight will come to resemble binge-watching on Netflix, shopping on Amazon, or swiping left (or right) on Tinder -- an exercise in selecting customized and contextualized options determined by data-enriched algorithms. Analytics-oriented marketing leaderships must recognize that their best people, just like their best customers, want intelligent exposure to meaningful choice.

Apple's annual Worldwide Developers Conference is always full of surprises. USA TODAY's Jefferson Graham previews what we can expect in Talking Tech. It's early June, which means for tech lovers, it's Apple iOS season. On Monday, Apple kicks off its Worldwide Developers Conference with a keynote where it will likely spell out all the new software features coming this fall to your iPhone or iPad. USA TODAY will provide live updates from the WWDC keynote right here, starting at 1 p.m. ET.

In a CardLinx Card-Linking and O2O Industry Survey, leading tech companies selected AI assistants as the next big platform for digital commerce. And according to eMarketer (via Ad Week), there will be 67 million voice-assisted devices in the U.S. by 2019. But these digital assistants only scratch the surface of what the future with AI might look like. Advances in AI will be an iteration of the convergence of today's buzzwords: big data, cloud computing, biometric verification, contactless payments and geo-location. From payment networks to digital advertisers and retailers, every industry in the online-to-offline (O2O) ecosystem is using AI to enhance their real-time data analysis for greater consumer engagement.