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Thanks to the popularity of Apple’s iOS devices and the Cupertino company’s knack for product marketing, you don’t have to be a regular Siri user to recognize her voice. Two years ago today, she made her debut alongside the iPhone 4s, and she’s been our virtual personal assistant ever since.

But who is the real Siri? Who provided that voice that we’ve all become so familiar with?

Her name is Susan Bennett, and she’s been a voice actress since she was young. She recorded the Siri voices back in 2005 — six years before Apple unveiled the feature — but she had no idea they would ever end up in the iPhone.

What you’ve always dreaded is about to come true. Get ready for ads in your Instagram feed.

Facebook’s photo sharing giant confirmed today that photo and video ads are indeed on the near horizon. Expect them to “occasionally” start appearing within the next couple months.

Reports of inaccurate motion sensors in the iPhone 5s continue to grow. As reported last week on Cult of Mac, there appear to be widespread problems with the 5s’ compass, gyroscope and accelerometer.

The original forum thread at MacRumors is now at a whopping 19 pages of user reports, and Apple has yet to respond to Cult of Mac’s repeated requests for information.

This morning, Gizmodo conducted its own tests and found the iPhone 5s motion sensors to be “totally screwed up.”

Looks like the problem is far more widespread than the naysayers on our original post, and on the MacRumors thread, are willing to admit.

Let’s not beat around the bush; the incognito mode built into Google Chrome for iOS is used for one thing, and that’s browsing websites that you wouldn’t want others to know you were browsing. But you should stop it — right now.

It appears that the latest release added a nasty bug that causes all of those sordid searches you make in incognito mode to be shared with the regular browser window — as well as Google Chrome on your Mac or PC if you have them all set up to sync with each other.

Apple’s new “Spaceship” campus has received approval from the Cupertino planning commission ahead of a city council meeting on October 15. The new building, which will become home to 14,000 Apple employees, is now another step closer to fruition, and providing there are no hiccups, Apple will be able to make a start on it next year.

This story first appeared in Cult of Mac Magazine.

SAN FRANCISCO — Those purveyors of productivity Evernote recently held their third annual conference here.

There was something in the keynote for everyone: swag, an avalanche of announcements — a partnership with Post-it! A new stylus! Backpacks! Scanners! — and a few groan-inducing jokes. (“Do you know what’s the biggest room in the world?” “Room for improvement!”)

Coming on the heels of the Apple event which introduced the world to the new iPhones, it felt like someone had given the time-weathered keynote a much-needed facelift. Or just peeled back a few crusty layers from what we’re all so used to sitting through to hear about the cool new stuff we’ll want.

Here are a few things the Cupertino company could learn from the upstarts.

Apple may or may not announce an iPad mini with Retina display in a couple weeks, but one thing that’s pretty much a given at this point is Touch ID coming to the iPad and iPad mini.

We haven’t seen any leaked fingerprint sensor components for the upcoming iPad 5 hit the Internet yet, but Unboxing Therapy has done some investigating of its own to see if a Touch ID would fit with some of the leaked components we’ve already seen. The results? You’ll have to see for yourself in the video below, but it looks promising:

Apple will be “unable” to launch a new iPad mini with Retina display this month due to supply constraints, according to sources in its supply chain, who have been speaking to Reuters. It’s thought the new device will only be available in “limited quantities” this year — if at all — and there’s a possibility it won’t be ready in time for the lucrative holiday shopping season.

Have you had issues sending or receiving iMessages since you updated to iOS 7? Although Apple claims problems only exist for “a fraction of a percent” of its users, a large number of iMessagers have been complaining about failed messages since iOS 7 was released.

Today Apple acknowledged that iMessage has been having problems, and a fix is coming in a future iOS 7 update.

Finding a gold iPhone 5s at your local Apple Store is no easy task even though it’s been on shelves more than a week now. Rather than calling every single Apple Store, Best Buy, Walmart, and carrier store in your area, our friend Mordy created the awesome iPhone Check web app that tells you if local stores have any gold units in stock.

The simple web app scrapes data from store.apple.com for the most up-to-date info on local pick-up options. Use the drop downs to select the color and carrier you want, press submit and viola! A chart of green and red squares indicate whether a store has stock of 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB units in the color of your choice.

Source: iPhoneCheck

This afternoon President Obama addressed the nation to talk about the recent government shutdown, as well as to promote the rollout of the new U.S. healthcare coverage website that just launched today.

During his remarks President Obama addressed criticisms that HealthCare.gov is full of bugs and loads too slowly. Obama deflected most of the blame toward the more than 1 million people that visited the site before 7AM and bogged down the servers. The President did admit there are a lot of bugs that need to be addressed, but then he used Americas Most Valuable Brand, as an example of why rollouts don’t always go to well by comparing the Healthcare.gov rollout to glitches in iOS 7:

Apple is expected to release another minor iOS 7 update next week to address more bugs and early teething problems. The Cupertino company released iOS 7.0.2 late last week to fix a lock screen security vulnerability, but that introduced new problems of its own that are likely to be addressed with iOS 7.0.3.

It seems a lot of users who upgraded to iOS 7 last month are having issues with iMessage. Apple’s Support Communities forums are full of complaints from disgruntled iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch users who cannot send or receive iMessages anymore, and you’ll find plenty of people voicing their frustrations on Twitter, too.

Initially it seemed Apple’s servers were the problem — as they often are when iMessage has problems — but that’s not the case. Instead, it appears to be a simple bug that can be easily rectified with a quick bit of tinkering. Here’s what you need to do.

Remember Lodsys? The small LLC that basically invented the term ‘patent troll’ made news in 2011 when it started going after App Store developers for infringing on obscure, abstract patent filings. It sued small app developers for outrageous amounts because it claimed to own the definitive patents on in-app purchases and the general concept of an upgrade button.

The issue with Lodsys was that its sole business was buying up patents in bulk and using them to sue the pants off devs. Many devs don’t have the resources to finance a legal battle of that nature, so Lodsys would then settle with a lot of its victims outside of court. Apple went up to bat for its third-party devs in court a couple years ago, and today Apple’s motion to intervene was thrown out.

You can now purchase the iPhone 5s from Apple.com and collect your order from your local Apple retail store. The Cupertino has the brought in-store pickup service back to the new device following a very brief stint this time last week — but who knows how long it will last.

Apple doesn’t like to allow emulators into the App Store, so try submitting one for approval and you’ll quickly get a big fat no. But some cunning iOS developers have found a way to sneak emulators through Apple’s App Store approval process by making them look like innocent apps.

The latest hit the App Store today. It’s called Earthquake 7 and its App Store description promises “the latest earthquake news.” But enter a secret phrase into its search bar and you have an emulator that plays all of your favorite Game Boy and Game Boy Advance titles.

FaceTime just keeps getting better. The recent addition of audio calls in iOS 7 is great news, right? Well, sort of.

There are plenty of apps in the App Store that let you make calls over your data connection rather than through the carrier’s phone network.

FaceTime audio calls are great — something that Google+ Hangouts have had for a long time. (Hangouts actually lets you add a voice call to a group video Hangout.) They enable free international calls, for starters. The protocols underlying FaceTime enable high-quality audio calls.

More importantly, they give users one more reason to get into the FaceTime habit.

Unfortunately, FaceTime has a fatal flaw. It’s still — inexplicably — an exclusive phone system for Apple customers to call each other. What kind of phone system is that?

While the new colors, flatness, and gradients of iOS 7 have received most of the attention from consumers, businesses are excited about the potential of the new iBeacons feature, and how it will change the way consumers interact with businesses.

The MLB put the technology on full display yesterday at Citi Field – the place where the Mets play- for a full demonstration of a prototype iBeacon technology. Working closely with Apple since February, the MLB’s developers have re-engineering a beta version of At The Ballpark at that can push coupons, ticket information, promotional offers, stadium information and much more based on where an individual is located at the ballpark.

Virgin Mobile USA has today announced that it will be offering Apple’s new iPhones beginning Tuesday, October 1. Both the iPhone 5s and the colorful iPhone 5c will be available on its prepaid “Beyond Talk” plans, which start at just $35 per month.

While we knew almost everything there was to know about the iPhone 5s prior to its official unveiling last week, I don’t think anybody expected Apple to announce a fancy new case to go with it.

The Cupertino company has released an iPad case or cover for every model it has ever made, but this is the first time it has provided first-party iPhone protection since the iPhone 4 Bumper back in 2010. But I’m glad it’s back in the case business.

The new iPhone 5s case — which fits the iPhone 5, too, by the way — is made from soft, premium leather and designed to “look and feel luxurious,” Apple says. It is precision crafted for a tight fit that maintain’s your iPhone’s sleek, slim design, and its microfiber lining promises to protect its aluminum shell from scuffs and scratches.

The case is available in six pretty colors, and it’s priced at $39.95. That’s pretty expensive for a case of this kind, but is it worth it?

Apple has announced this year’s iOS Tech Talks schedule for App Store developers. Talks will take place in 6 cities around the world throughout the end of the year. The sessions are intended to give devs “in-depth guidance about developing for iOS 7” from Apple engineers, and each city has two separate sessions for app and game devs.

Instagram for iOS 7 is finally here. Today the app received its first big update for Apple’s new OS, and the interface has been given a fresh coat of paint to match the iOS 7 aesthetic.

A fake iOS 7 advert that promises iPhones will become waterproof after being updated to Apple’s latest software has reportedly fooled owners into destroying their beloved smartphones.

The poster, which went viral on social media sites after iOS 7 was made available to the public last week, claims the update “prevents any damage to your iPhone’s delicate circuitry” when it is exposed to water. Surprisingly, some believed it.

AppleCare+ subscribers can now get repairs and replacements for their iPhones, iPads, and iPod touches while they’re abroad following recent changes to the service. Subscribers were previously required to contact Apple in their home country, but now they can pop into any Apple retail store in territories where AppleCare+ is sold.

Nothing makes Microsoft happier than seeing an iPhone user ditch their device for a Windows Phone smartphone. In fact, the company will even buy your iPhone off you if you promise to make the switch.

Starting this Friday, you’ll be able to take your old iPhone 4s or iPhone 5 into select Microsoft stores across the U.S. and Canada and receive a minimum of $200 in-store credit for a new Windows Phone device. The move comes weeks after Microsoft kicked off an iPad trade-in program to encourage consumers to switch to its Surface tablet.