Ever tried typing out a text on your phone referring to someone as ‘dear’ but ended up saying ‘dead’ instead? ‘Moist acne’ instead of ‘moustache’? ‘Duck’ instead of…? The company largely responsible for this long standing ‘duck’ up has decided to finally make amends.

On Monday, 5th June, Apple Inc introduced a tweak to its iPhones that will allow unbridled use of one of the English language’s most used expletives without the annoyance of it being corrected to the word used to describe what is possibly the most hated bird among iPhone users – ‘duck’.

The iPhone’s autocorrect feature activates when a user types out words and was infamous for substituting misspelt words with others that can change the meaning of a phrase or sentence in quirky, imaginative and, most notably, embarrassing ways.

Though a user can choose to turn off the feature, it is generally considered a convenient technological aide when facing an orthographic impasse.

“In those moments where you just want to type a ducking word, well, the keyboard will learn it, too,” Apple’s software chief Craig Federighi said at an event for the company’s developers. The company also announced the release of a new and notoriously high-priced mixed-reality headset along with details on a refresh of Apple desktops and laptops.

Apple shares hit an all-time high on the same day the announcements were made, placing the company just short of achieving a US$3 trillion market capitalisation for the second time. In January 2022, Apple became the first US company to reach the milestone, briefly hitting a market cap of $3 trillion during intraday trading.

In fact, over the past five years, the company’s share price has gained more than 280% – potentially implying that even in the face of steep price tags and frustrating features like autocorrect, staunch iPhone users and Apple investors alike simply could not give a flying duck.

Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance.