SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – The Latest on Apple (all times local):
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10:15 a.m.
Apple CEO Tim Cook is opening the company’s annual software conference by acknowledging Sunday’s mass shooting in Orlando, Florida.
Cook says Apple is offering its “deepest sympathies to everyone whose lives were touched by this violence.” He calls the shooting a “senseless, unconscionable act of terrorism and hate aimed at dividing and destroying.”
He notes that Apple makes a point of celebrating its diversity and asked the crowd to rise and take part in a moment of silence.
The weeklong Apple Worldwide Developers Conference opens Monday.
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9:20 a.m.
Apple’s wisecracking digital assistant Siri could have a big role as the company’s annual software conference opens in San Francisco.
As voice technology has improved, people are getting more comfortable with services like Siri and the service Google calls “assistant” to interact with online services for entertainment, shopping and the like.
A report by venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins says nearly two-thirds of U.S. smartphone owners used a voice assistant last year – more than double the rate in 2013.
Even so, many people are still reluctant to use voice-enabled services in public settings, like the office or the street. That makes the home an important battleground.
The weeklong Apple Worldwide Developers Conference opens with a keynote Monday.