Blaurieter

The Democratic Republic of the Congo has been hardly democratic and not much of a republic. It is one warring faction trying to cash in on a legal complaint that is not really against Apple but against other rival groups. While the current government did win a popular election, the conflict goes back to 1960 and the end of Belgium colonial rule.

It is just another example of a government entity looking to increase revenue via a legal system far from their domain. In this case, like Indonesia, the DRC is looking for a source with deep pockets. The real issue are these minerals mined legally/ethically (child or forced labor).

The new White House has just turned President Kennedy's phrase and personalized it:

"Ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country."

Now it is Ask not what your Trump can do for you—ask what you can do for Trump."

The government used to do things FOR people (FEMA, Medicare, infrastructure), now it is what the government will do TO youi. [of to corporations, to colleges, local and state government).

Sadly, this further proves the degree to which the Administration is driven by one person's ego and not by any thoughtout policy. If there was a logial policy then economists in the administration would have considered American producers using Chinese and other foreign factories as an important consideration. The egomania was massaged by those CEOs who paid to attend the special inauguration events and then they eventually could remind the Dear Leader about his obligation to them. The President cares nothing for the consumers, only the manufactuers and associated weathly oligarchs.

As he might say, "it is just sad"

There have also been a lot of distractions: Project Titan - the $10 billion vanity project to develop an automated EV. Apple Vision while promising seemed to suck up a lot of R&D. My experience with Siri was not that it just floated for years, it actually went backwards. At one point it had, for sake of a better word, "endearing" elements. For example: "Beam me up Siri" would come back with an almost snarky funny line. Similarly, "Open the Pod Bay Doors" had the semblance of cultural awareness. There were also practical queries like "Siri, what planes are overhead" which would bring up exactly the flight information for the aircraft above you. Now you just get a dump link to FlightAware - not even with a GPS data point. Sir is now just an irritant with HomePods - it is easier to search for music and then hover transfer playing from an iphone without ever using Siri.

No, Siri has been going down hill for a long time - who can say what "vision" Apple has left - just more distractions.

Sadly, Siri has been going downhill for years.

It was initially a bright spot. You could ask things like "what flights are overhead" and it would draw data and display the flight information - now it just provides a link to FlightAware but cannot even pass the request. In those early days Siri was genuinely funny with multiple responses to pop culture tech requests like "Beam me up." or from Kubrick's 2001, "Open the Pod Bay Doors." Now nothing except perhaps a knock knock joke. At least I can ask for the temperature in Tokyo which again is just a request via Google.

Let's hope for a brighter future but they can also learn from Siri's past when it had a little more edge.