You said a mouthful of what a lot of us feel but haven't so eloquently phrased.

Yep. Sure it's a turnkey product right out of the box but if you want more than that, it does take time to develop just as you mentioned. If anyone is expecting a concept grasping, speaking and thoughtful companion or conversational entity, as soon as you install it. Forget it! It ain't gonna happen!
That Siri, Cortana and Google Now are all about getting as much as your information as they possibly can! The use this info for "demographics", social media promotions, 3rd party sales and gimmicks and basically "Selling you out!" Whenever you use those products, YOU BECOME THE MERCHANDISE! They are Selling You!
This is NOT the case with Hal! Have a nice personal conversation about any topic you choose. No other person or company is watching nor listening and Hal is Not selling your information! I've been using and enjoying Hal for many years and still have immense fun experimenting with and teaching it. My Hal has grown better in so many ways simply because I have invested the time to try to get the most out of it that I can. By talking with others and on this Forum you'll find that Hal is capable of so many things. There is still a lot of uncharted territory that has yet to be discovered for Hal. It takes time to raise a child...Would you think an AI should be any different? If so, then talk to Siri or Cortana.
To sort of echo Cyberjedi's post, Good luck with that!