The Register® — Biting the hand that feeds IT

US Patent Office exposes Apple secret plan

David Wright

Just in time ... 

Coat

... 12 o'clock approaches rapidly!

I have your coat for you!

Roger Greenwood

The 36-24-36 

Cracked me up.

Disclaimer - I don't use any apple products except granny smiths.

Matt Bryant

Please tell me it's not an April Fool's? 

Happy

I'm guessing you guys didn't get any Apple freebies in your stockings this Christmas?

Ian Large

Brilliant! 

Jobs Halo

And if it wasn't the 1st of April, I'd have believed *every* word! :-)

Robert Ramsay

not as good as the satnav/taser one... 

that is all.

Greg

Hehehehe 

Thumb Up

Very good. I like it.

spike

Fool? 

Joke

April Fool surley guv?

Mine's the one with the joke book in the pocket.

mike

huh? 

happy april 1st;)

Tom Cooke

Wups 

Priceless - a brilliant piece.

Tanuki

You are too stupid to call this number. Please hang up. 

Go

You mean you didn't pick up on the "Caller IQ" option in the latest release of OS.X-for-iPhone?

The Fuzzy Wotnot

No! No! No! 

Alert

Lord Steve our saviour of the Church of Jobs will not be ridiculed in this way!

I wish to place on record that this is incitement to religious hatred against my fanboi brethren and if the law won't save you the Lord Steve will visit vengeance upon your house, unbelievers!!!

All kneel and praise the saviour of personal computing!

Ign R. Amis

Yo dawg 

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I heard you liked obvious April Fools jokes so I put an obvious April Fools joke in your Register issue so you can get fooled on April Fools day.

neil hanvey

tldr 

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i must say that the april fools stories this year have been a little bit boring

Ponder Stebbins

Fail 

Grade "F", must try better for April 1st

Liam Johnson

A none numeric title is required. 

36-24-36?

No way - more like 10-2-36 looking at the diagram.

Anonymous Coward

hum 

2 in one day, thats gonna throw people off

Dave

Prior Art 

I already had a method for dealing with voicemail, although it doesn't work on all systems. Just send yourself a message to turn on the message-waiting light, then turn the phone over and flip the switch so the light goes out. Then you don't get bothered by messages from anyone else.

As for phone call avoidance, I've done that for years. It's known as "time for a cup of tea", where one merely picks up one's cup and heads for the kitchen when the phone rings.

rogueelement

Constant 

Boffin

Avogadro would have approved

Tom

I thought I was suppose to get to the END of the article 

before realizing it was an April fool.

Apple would NEVER patent something obvious like an answering machine that doesn't record message. That would be Microsoft who does that, because they are the only company that can afford all the lawyers required to protect such an absurdity.

Anonymous Coward

Apple are shit 

Jobs Horns

Spot the fangirls having hissy fits.

If it was not true it would be funny.

Ed Blackshaw

@The 36-24-36 

I have to admit a geeky chortle at the use of Avogadro's constant for no apparent reason.

Evil_Medic

6.02x10^23 

Boffin

I'm pretty sure that was used to identify the humanoid figure as a "mole"- an internal spy.

Still made no sense, as the "mole" would seem to be using said avoidance techniques to prevent disseminating inside info.

Iam Me

Nice one Rik 

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Someone buy that man a beer on me :-).

James O'Brien

Even though Its April 1st 

Joke

I would like to let everyone know Im going to patent a new silence system, prior art be damned.

Its called duct tape over the mouth and a leather sap....

/Mafia my ass they dont.......