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Barbra Streisand fixes Siri with a call to Tim Cook

Barbra Streisand fixes Siri with a call to Tim Cook

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iOS update coming September 30th, says noted Apple leaker Streisand

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Tech support is apparently a lot easier if you're rich and famous. For Barbra Streisand, it's as simple as picking up the phone and calling the CEO of Apple to get a quick fix. The legendary singer and actress said that she'd become frustrated recently with how Siri pronounced her name, and rang up Tim Cook to sort out the problem.

"She pronounces my name wrong! [It's] Streisand with a soft 's' like sand on the beach, I've been saying this for my whole career," Streisand told NPR's Scott Simon. "So what did I do? I called the head of Apple, Tim Cook. And he delightfully agreed to have Siri change the pronunciation of my name finally with the next update on September 30th."

It's not entirely clear what update Streisand is referring to here, but if it's the final release of iOS 10, then that September 30th date is new information. It would, though, be a deviation from the norm for Apple, which usually releases the full version of its updated mobile OS at the same time as the launch of its latest new iPhone — expected around mid-September for the upcoming iPhone 7. If the September 30th date is true, though, we can add "Apple leaker" to Streisand's list of achievements.

Of course, if Streisand wants a quicker fix, she can simply tutor Apple's assistant on how to say her name properly — a feature that was added in iOS 7. When Siri mispronounces a name users should say "that’s not how you pronounce that," and they'll be taken to a menu where they can finesse the individual phonemes and syllables. For most of us, that's certainly easier than getting a hold of Tim Cook.


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