Image: Apple Apple is changing Siri’s trigger phrase from “Hey Siri” to just “Siri.” The change, part of iOS 17, will make it easier to summon the virtual assistant on iPhones, iPads, Macs, and other devices and follows a report from Bloomberg in November that Apple was working on moving Siri to a single wake word. Apple has been using “Hey Siri” up until now since the underlying engineering and training work is easier against a two-word trigger phrase. Moving to a single wake word is a significant shift, even if it might seem simple. Amazon allows Alexa users to trigger the assistant using “Hey Alexa” or just “Alexa,” and even Microsoft supported just “Cortana” as a wake word before…

Roll can simulate camera effects on stationary iPhone footage that typically require fancy camera equipment like a dolly or crane. | Image: Roll Roll AI is a new video creation and collaboration platform for iOS and web that allows users to add simulated video effects to iPhone footage that would typically require professional camera equipment to achieve, such as stabilized pan or crane shots. It’s one of the latest examples in a boom of new apps and services that utilize AI to simplify technical creative processes like photo and video editing. Roll AI uses its proprietary generative AI models to recreate the filming environment in iPhone footage as a 3D space, allowing users to add text overlay effects and simulate…

Apple believes accessibility is a human right. Innovative features like Door Detection, Sound Recognition, Voice Control, and more are designed to let you use your Apple devices in ways that work best for you. Still from Apple’s “The Greatest” short film Apple works in deep collaboration with community groups representing a broad spectrum of users with disabilities to develop accessibility features that make a real impact on people’s lives. Coming later this year, users with cognitive disabilities can use iPhone and iPad with greater ease and independence with Assistive Access; nonspeaking individuals can type to speak during calls and conversations with Live Speech; and those at risk of losing their ability to speak can use Personal Voice to create a…

Apple has launched a new campaign highlighting the importance of keeping health data private and secure and how the company is focused on doing so. Andrew Griffin for The Independent: The ads look to highlight iPhone features that Apple says ensure that it is able to collect data on its users, but not cause them embarrassment or threats by allowing other people to get hold of it. It does so by depicting a doctors waiting room in which the various health complaints of patients are broadcast to everyone, and suggests that people who are not sufficiently protecting their privacy may accidentally be doing the same on the internet. MacDailyNews Take: Lauren Cheung, a doctor and senior manager on Apple’s clinical…

Macworld Everyone wants to talk about AI. Most of them don’t know what it is (artificial intelligence), but they still want to talk about it. Who’s got it and who doesn’t. What industries it’s ripe to disrupt. And the one company that’s not in the middle of that conversation is Apple. Viral images generated by Stable Diffusion, and pathological chatbots from OpenAI, Microsoft, and Google are the story of the day. Apple, meanwhile, has nothing. Or perhaps, considering the current state of Siri, less than nothing. Apple’s nowhere when it comes to AI. That’s the narrative. The thing is, it’s not true. At least, not yet. Presenting the Neural Engine It’s hard to imagine that you could portray Apple as…

Macworld As an editor who’s been covering Apple for a long time, I’m often asked by family, friends, and acquaintances about which Mac to buy. I have knowledge and insight that people can tap into conveniently through a conversation, saving someone from hours of research, a task that can be daunting, intimidating, and confusing. When using Google or another search engine, results appear as a list of websites, and then it’s up to you to find the information you need. That could take a lot of time, maybe even several hours. But generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools such as ChatGPT and Google Bard can possibly cut that time down to a few minutes, akin to the conversations I have. However,…