MyAppleMenu - Sat, Sep 12, 2015

Sat, Sep 12, 2015The Sending-Information-To-Apple Edition

Apple Addresses Privacy Questions About ‘Hey Siri’ And Live Photo Features, by Matthew Panzarino, TechCrunch

“In no case is the device recording what the user says or sending that information to Apple before the feature is triggered,” says Apple.

Instead, audio from the microphone is continuously compared against the model, or pattern, of your personal way of saying ‘Hey Siri’ that you recorded during setup of the feature. Hey Siri requires a match to both the ‘general’ Hey Siri model (how your iPhone thinks the words sound) and the ‘personalized’ model of how you say it. This is to prevent other people’s voices from triggering your phone’s Hey Siri feature by accident.

Apple's 'Hey Siri' Feature In iOS 9 Uses Individualized Voice Recognition, by Mitchel Broussard, MacRumors

Similar in vein to the way Apple aimed its Touch ID feature to work better and better the more you unlocked an iPhone using the fingerprint scanning sensor, it seems the set-up process will guide users into stating words or phrases to better acclimate Siri with each iPhone owner.

Swapping Old And Clunky Out

Table For Two, With An iPad? How Tablets And Mobile Apps Are Transforming The Restaurant Business, by Christina Pellegrini, Financial Post

More restaurant owners are starting to swap old, clunky and often costly IT systems — and the waiter’s pencil and notepad — for iPads and mobile apps to save money in the long run and differentiate themselves in the short. But, if these shiny gadgets don’t have a smooth runway to connect them all together, the pursuit of simplicity through digitization and automation can turn out to be rife with complexity.

Mickalow confesses he’s no tech whiz. So, for the second Test Kitchen, which opened in mid-August, he hired MacMedics, a Toronto consultancy, to steer data traffic on separate and predictable routes, reduce the frequency of congestion, and prioritize money-making meal orders on the network above all else. So far, it has worked.

Apple’s iPhone Upgrade Program Is A Brilliant Strategy To Turn Carriers Into “Dumb Pipes”, by Dan Frommer, Quartz

Apple’s program isn’t as cheap as similar offers from some carriers (it also includes Apple’s extended warranty plan and phones are sold unlocked). But it does something more important: It converts its users from “carrier customers” to “Apple customers.”

The Cable Industry Faces The Perfect Storm: Apps, App Stores And Apple, by Flurry Mobile

After putting the desktop web in their rear view mirror, apps now reign supreme as the top media channel in the United States, even without the help of the mobile browser. For the first time ever, time spent inside mobile applications by the average US consumer has exceeded that of TV.

Stuff

Apple TV Drops Optical Audio-Out: How To Pump Up The Volume Again, by Glenn Fleishman, Macworld

If you’re using the audio port now to stream sound and want to do so in the future with a new Apple TV, what choices do you have? It turns out, quite a few.

This Hidden iPhone Feature Could Save Your Life, by News.com.au

Embedded in your phone’s Health app, the feature called Medical ID, allows you to store medical information such as your blood type, allergies and any medication you may be on.

In addition to your medical info, you can also store emergency contact numbers, which can be accessed and contacted from your phone even when it’s locked.

Hands On: Apple's Latest iPhone 6s And 6s Plus With Live Photos And 3D Touch, by Daniel Eran Dilger, AppleInsider

iA Writer Adds New Previews On Mac, Customisable Keyboard On iOS, by Thorin Klosowski, Lifehacker

Say It With A Song, Send Music Messages With MSTY, by Sandy Stachowiak, AppAdvice

Develop

As Apple Plans Major AirPlay Overhaul For iOS 9 & New Apple TV, Mirroring Apps Must Implement Workarounds, by Jordan Kahn, 9to5Mac

While Apple hasn’t detailed the changes publicly, the company is planning what appears to be a major, undocumented overhaul of its AirPlay protocol with iOS 9 that should make the framework for streaming video and audio content between devices a much smoother experience for both users and developers. It is, however, breaking many screen mirroring apps in the process and forcing developers to scramble to implement workarounds ahead of the launch of iOS 9 on Wednesday and the new Apple TV in the coming weeks.

Apple Now Allowing Developers To Submit iOS 9, OS X El Capitan And Native Watch Apps To The App Store, by Benjamin Mayo, 9to5Mac

Notes

Initial Thoughts On iPad Pro, by Fraser Speirs

The iPad Pro isn't so much about the iPad Pro today as it is about what it and iOS will become by 2020: Apple's vision for the future of personal computing.

Apple Busted For Not Paying China Taxes, by David Goldman, CNN

"During an audit of our 2013 operations, a difference in interpretation of a tax rule resulted in a balance due, which we paid with interest," said Josh Rosenstock, a spokesman for Apple. "We pay all the taxes we owe wherever we do business and we will continue working closely with the Ministry of Finance."

'Smile' Tool Draws Criticism At Apple Launch, by BBC

Carolyn Leighton, Founder and CEO of Women in Technology International, told BBC Trending that although it was unlikely that anything malicious was intended, the photo subject was "a poor choice."

"It just triggers this feeling that so many people have," says Leighton. "It's just like when these companies put men in front of the camera instead of women. People are out of touch with the fact that women are equal partners in the field."

Cook On Colbert

"Siri, put Apple CEO Tim Cook on my calendar for Tuesday, Sept. 15. Oh, and come up with some questions to ask him." pic.twitter.com/mXutum0Bp6

— Stephen Colbert (@StephenAtHome) September 12, 2015

Thanks for reading.