Who is Siri?

According to an email from CNN, Siri is Susan Bennett.

Her voice is known by millions of iPhone users. Her identity, up until now, has been unknown.

Meet Susan Bennett, better known as Siri, Apple's voice-activated virtual assistant.

"It seemed like everyone was clamoring to find out who the real voice behind Siri is," says the Atlanta-area resident, "and so I thought, well, you know, what the heck? This is the time."

Apple, typically secretive, won't confirm it. But Bennett says she is Siri. Professionals who know her voice, have worked with her and represent her legally say she is Siri. An audio-forensics expert with 30 years of experience has studied both voices and says he is "100%" certain that the two are the same.

Follow complete coverage of breaking news on CNN TV, CNN.com and CNN Mobile

Apple's New Operating System iOS 7 Doesn't Give Jerusalem A Country

'Why I will not be upgrading to iOS 7 and why my next phone will not be an iPhone-I have no desire to support an anti-Israel enterprise. Do you?'

Full story here http://yidwithlid.blogspot.co.uk/2013/09/anti-israel-apples-new-operating-system.html

Somersby Cider take-off Apple Stores (full version)

I'd not seen the full version of the new Somersby Coder advert until I found this




Great spoofing...

Samsung vs Apple in Iceland with Ninjas and a goat

Samsung's latest advert for its Galaxy S4 smartphone makes much of it's support for the Icelandic language. You see an iPhone attempt to swipe a touchscreen and make a call on an actual apple. In case your Icelandic is poor, the text tells Icelandic viewers to use "the phone that understands you." Now enters the Samsung Galaxy S4. The ad's main character, now converted from iPhone to Samsung Galaxy, decides to dance with some ninjas and a goat before taking a bite from an apple.

All very odd.

It's 1984 and Steve Jobs wants to introduce the new Apple Mac

Hold on is that really Steve Jobs? Where's the black turtle neck?

Oh dear Apple, not good at all

It would seem that Apple's ios6 mapping app is not only not as good as Google Maps but also not fit for purpose. Towns are missing, long defunct shops have reappeared, lakes have disappeared, airport runways are rather bumpy, the list is a long one. Here's a few examples.

Where's the lake in Hyderabad ?

Tarsdorf is actually about 3 km (~2 miles) away from Fucking.

Search for Manchester United Football Club and Apple shows you Sale United Football Club, a community team for ages five and above.

Basingstoke wasn't quite so rural the last time that I was there.

For more try this Tumblr site

Do you have an iPad and miss your old typewriter?

Austin Yang's iTypewriter - genius or insanity?

What's better the iPhone 4 or the Samsung Galaxy S2?

Well T3 magazine's phone of the year award has just been awarded to the Samsung Galaxy S2, rather than the Apple iPhone 4 or the HTC Incredible S et al.

I cannot disagree with T3, the Samsung Galaxy S2 is a great phone with much better battery life than the HTC & iPhone 4, a great browser (maybe not as good as the iPhone), way better email facilities than the iPhone and it usable as a phone unlike the iPhone 4.

Pun of the day?

'All we need now is for iPhones to start playing up and we'll have the dream headline: Apple and Blackberry crumble'

Thanks to @SamKennedyy on Twitter for that one...

Steve Jobs, R.I.P.

Steve Jobs has passed away within less than 24 hours of Apple's launch of not the much heralded iPhone5 but a seemingly far less exciting iPhone 4S. I have never owned a piece of Apple technology, although I have worked on many Apple PCs over the years and Mrs NotaSheep owns an iPad and an iPod although neither of these get as much use as they should.

I have long admired Apple's design philosophy but find the way that one is coerced further and further into Apple-land irritating. Even worse though is the way that Apple charge top dollar for their hardware and take a ridiculously large cut from people who wish to sell via the App Store. It is strange how Microsoft are derided by such as the BBC for their monopolistic position in the PC world, yet Apple whose practices make Microsoft sometimes look like angels are lauded by the same organisations; presumably because they are still seen as trendy insurgents, despite them now being nothing of the sort.

Regardless of the above, Steve Jobs' death is a great loss to the world of technology and he will be missed.

Two BBC articles that struck me as interesting in juxtaposition

Two BBC articles struck me as interesting in juxtaposition: the first is this piece that reports that:

'US computer firm Apple has withdrawn a mobile phone application called Jewish or Not Jewish from its online store in France.'

The second is this piece that reports that:

'The UK has pulled out of a United Nations event marking the 10th anniversary of the World Conference on Racism in South Africa.'

Anti-Semitism, is it everywhere or are some people too sensitive? Re the Apple App I tend to side with the over-sensitive as I can see the 'app' having applicability in many Jewish families. Re the World Conference on Racism, I think it is obvious where I stand!

The Apple and US Government complaint (Update 2)

The saga continues. What is most interesting is that on this sort of relatively unimportant matter the replies come in less than a day but on the important complaints weeks or months pass...

Here's the BBC's latest short response:

'NewsOnline Complaints to me

show details 16:20 (1 hour ago)

Please see link below:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cash_and_cash_equivalents

Regards,
BBC News website'

And here's my reply:

'Nota Sheep to NewsOnline

show details 18:12 (0 minutes ago)

So you agree that your article should have said 'Cash and cash equivalents' not 'cash'.

Does the US government have any 'cash equivalents' to add to their 'Cash' figure?

Are you really comparing like with like?

NotaSheep MaybeaGoat'

Am I wrong?

The Apple and US Government complaint (update)

The BBC have responded to this complaint: I will respond soon!

On 2 August 2011 18:11, NewsOnline Complaints wrote:

Dear Sir,

Cash is shorthand for cash and/or easily liqidable assets - pretty common business parlance.

"With more than $75bn either sitting in the bank or in easily accessible assets, there has been enormous speculation about what the company will do with the money."

___________________

Iain Mackenzie
Technology Reporter
BBC News

-----Original Message-----
From: notasheepmaybeagoat@gmail.com [mailto:notasheepmaybeagoat@gmail.com]
Sent: 01 August 2011 23:55
To: NewsOnline Complaints
Subject: Complaint Reply Required






{Title:} Mr

{First Name:} NotaSheep

{Last Name:} MaybeaGoat

{Under 13:} No

{Email:} notasheepmaybeagoat@gmail.com

{Postcode:}

{Location:} England

{Phone:}


{Feedback Type:} I would like to... Make a complaint

{Summary:} Incompetent reporting

{URL:} http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-14340470

{Complaint:} Your article says: 'Apple now has more cash to spend than the United States government.

Latest figures from the US Treasury Department show that the country has an operating cash balance of $73.7bn (£45.3bn).

Apple's most recent financial results put its reserves at $76.4bn.'

However 'cash' and 'reserves' are two very different things. Cash is the liquid assets you hold whereas reserves is the accounting estimate of what would be left to shareholders if a company is wound up.

The US government has about 6 times as much 'cash' as Apple.


Do the BBC not have economics experts who understand such concepts or does the BBC not care about facts?

{Reply:} Yes


{Previous Contact:} Yes

{Related To Previous Contact:} No

{Reason For Return Contact:}


http://www.bbc.co.uk/
This e-mail (and any attachments) is confidential and may contain personal views which are not the views of the BBC unless specifically stated.
If you have received it in error, please delete it from your system.
Do not use, copy or disclose the information in any way nor act in reliance on it and notify the sender immediately.
Please note that the BBC monitors e-mails sent or received.
Further communication will signify your consent to this.

Would Steve Jobs do a better job as President of the United States?

Will Shanklin at Gottabemobile thinks he might... Here's the conclusion but do read it all:

'We need a president who is an a**hole and isn’t ashamed of it. We need a more efficient congress. We definitely need free MacBooks.

We need Steve Jobs.'

A sign of the times?

As the world breathes a sigh of relief that Barack Obama has swallowed some pride and done a deal with the Republicans over the US budget I read that Apple now has more cash to spend than the United States government. The latest figures from the US Treasury Department show that the country has an operating cash balance of $73.7bn (£45.3bn). Meanwhile Apple's most recent financial results put its reserves at $76.4bn.

UPDATE / ERRATA
per Alex:

'Sorry, but cash and reserves are two very different things. Cash is the liquid assets you hold whereas reserves is the accounting estimate of what would be left to shareholders if a company is wound up.

The US government has about 6 times as much cas as Apple. More misinformation from the BBC.'

So file under BBC incompetence and Mr NotaSheep not checking BBC 'facts'!

Is the Apple iPhone 4 still the best smartphone?

Samsung don't think so...

I think BlackBerry are trying to make a point

The BlackBerry PlayBook supports Flash unlike the Apple iPad

This chap's not so convinced...

Can I guess your iPhone passcode?

1234
0000
2580
1111
5555
5683
0852
2222
1212
1998

If your iPhone passcode is one of those then you are, according to recent research, amongst the 15% of iPhone users who use one of those codes...

Apple's iPod, iPhone, iPad and now...

From Israel's channel 22 Tv show Eretz Nehederet.

Is the Apple iPad 2 just 6 days away?

This invite, emailed out today by Apple to invited tech reporters, would suggest that maybe Apple are set to announce the iPad 2.0 on March 2. Could be? Maybe I'll put off buying one until after that date...


Thanks to Boing Boing for the spot.