It’s hard to believe that Apple’s response to Google Maps, Apple Maps, has been around since 2012. It was originally demonstrated at the WWDC that June, with release at the end of September. In addition to the usual turn-by-turn navigation, Apple touted 3D artwork and flyovers. Missing were transit directions, so Apple directed you to […]

So what’s wrong with Siri? Why hasn’t it realized its potential, since it was essentially the original smartphone digital assistant? Why has it been rated far inferior to Google Voice and Alexa? A key reason is said to  be Apple’s privacy policies. Unlike Google and Amazon, you aren’t the customer, thus ensuring far greater security when […]

My initial odyssey with the first public betas of iOS 11 had a predicable ending. As I reported, the early post-installation experience was very positive. Most everything worked first launch, and performance was reasonably smooth. In some ways, it appeared to be a tad snappier than iOS 10.3.2. But then I had a couple of […]

You may not remember this, but Siri debuted on the iPhone 4s on October 4, 2011, the day before Steve Jobs died. While it became a sort of cultural icon right away, it wasn’t necessarily all that accurate. All right, Siri would certainly pay attention to actor Samuel L. Jackson in a series of TV […]