一年多前我寫了一篇簡單介紹（同時我主觀看好這技術）的文章–「Siri — 強大的數位助理，夢想與實現」。
當時我認為這簡直是1987年Apple推出的概念影片–Knowledge Navigator–的初步實現。當然，就我自己的試用經驗來看，還沒有到那麼完美；不過，Siri遠比Knowledge Navigator來得幽默多了。
而事情發展往往是有趣的。正當不少人都認為Siri這家公司在實現Apple過去的夢想時，Apple出手買下了它，並內建到甫推出的iPhone 4s。我想應該不少人也開始幻想Siri更進步，也內建到更多iDevices和Mac中。
沒想到這種時空的巧合還有一個更有趣的安排：
無意間我看到1983年1月推出的Apple IIe 長達74頁的使用手冊，該手冊最後一段Q&A提到：
Q:Should I worry if I find myself talking to my Apple IIe?
A:No. Lots of people talk to their computers, especially when they’re just learning to use them.
What’s nice about the current crop of computers is that they can’t understand what you’re
saying. In a decade or so, you may have to watch your language.
對照最近一堆使用者老問Siri 有關fuck, want to kill someone or oneself 之類的玩笑話，Apple IIe這位老前輩顯得十分「高瞻遠矚」呢！
PS
這份老文件還透露了其他十分有趣的事情，我簡單羅列如下：
1. 早在1983年就有「阿婆保佑」。
Q:Why doesn’t Apple offer a one year warranty for the Apple IIe computer?
A:Our 90-day warranty is the industry standard that covers faulty materials or workmanship.
Apple offers an inexpensive repair insurance called AppleCare. Please ask your Apple
authorized dealer for details.
2. Q&A中竟然有這問題：
Is there such a thing as the Apple I?
看來當年Apple I也是充滿神秘性呢！
3. Apple I 使用說明只有8頁。
Q：Did the Apple I have a manual?
A：You bet. It was about eight pages long.
4. Apple名稱究竟從何而來？我已經不知道聽過幾個版本了，諸如：向同為Jobs與Woz偶像的Beatles致敬（因為Beatles的錄音公司叫做Apple）、因為Steve Jobs曾經在蘋果園打工、因為兩個人曾經一同搬過一袋蘋果…眾說紛紜。
沒想到這份文件竟然回答了這問題！這是我唯一見過Apple這家公司最正式的解釋了：
Q：How did Apple get its name?
A：The name Apple Computer was chosen late one afternoon as Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, Apple’s
founders, faced the deadline for filing a Fictitious Name Statement, part of the business licensing procedures. After volleying names back and forth with Wozniak for hours, Jobs looked at the apple he was eating and decided that, unless he or Woz arrived at something better by five o’clock, they would call the company Apple. Five o’clock came and went; Apple was the new company’s name.
原來純粹是想不出名字，順口說5點之前想不出來就叫Apple。
喜歡這個新（老）說法嗎？
元毓說 