Around the Net
Apple Loses Siri Head
- All Things Digital, Monday, October 24, 2011 12:01 PM
Owners of the new iPhone 4S might want to ask Siri, “What’s in store for Apple’s voice-activated digital assistant now that its co-creator is leaving the company?” As AllThingsD reports, Dag Kittlaus, the co-founder and CEO of the company that created the Siri (which was eventually acquired by Apple), is already out. Reportedly amicable and long in the works, word is that Kittlaus left to take time off to be with his family being in Chicago, and do some brainstorming for new entrepreneurial ideas.
Siri’s CEO since 2007, Kittlaus led the speech recognition efforts for Apple since it acquired Siri in April of last year. “Kittlaus apparently left just after the launch of the iPhone 4S, in which Siri’s speech recognition technology was the highlight, but sources said other key execs from Siri are expected to remain at Apple,” AllThingsD reports. So, what does the departure mean for Apple’s voice-recognition efforts? AllThingsD doesn’t have the answer -- and, we’ll assume, neither does Siri -- but it’s likely that Apple has all the resources it needs to continue improving its voice technology.
