Cupertino effect
n. The tendency for automatic spell-checking software to replace some words with inappropriate or incorrect alternatives.
Other Forms
Cupertino n.
Examples
2011
And then "the Cupertino effect": typos introduced by the very "autocorrect" software intended to save us from error. Ah, the typographical treason of these invisible servants!
—Ruth Walker, “The wages of typos — in pounds and pence,” The Christian Science Monitor, November 10, 2011
2011
On the plus side, though, we’d have no more problems with the Cupertino effect — spellcheck software’s tendency to suggest inappropriate words to replace misspellings and words not in its dictionary, such as suggesting "Cupertino" for "co-operation."
—Erin McKean, “After the spelling bee, imagining a world without standardized spelling,” The Washington Post, June 03, 2011
2000 (earliest)
Of course, we take great care in the production of our own texts. Most of us are now aware of the 'Cupertino effect', and we have added 'cooperation' to the custom dictionary in our spelling checker.
—Elizabeth Anne Muller, “Cupertino and after” (PDF), Language Matters, September 01, 2000
Notes
Many thanks to Ben Zimmer for digging up the earliest citation.
Posted: April 18, 2013