Mac OS X 10.12 will feature Siri integration
This Fall, Apple is planning to release version 10.12 of Mac OS X, codenamed “Fuji”, which is expected to bring some major features, especially to newer MacBook models.
Since the past year, Apple seems to be heavily invested in a number of technologies ranging from wireless charging, to video content streaming. One less talked about feature that Apple has been working on and considering for a while, is the integration of Apple’s own virtual assistant Siri, on the Mac.
What we know so far about Siri for Mac
Word of Apple testing Siri’s desktop implementation has been in circulation since 2012, but it wasn’t until last August that we have learned of Apple acquiring a patent titled “Intelligent digital assistance in a desktop environment”.
According to said patent, the concept application of the soon-to-be-implemented feature, will work differently than on iOS, and will be tailored primarily around cursor gestures, with touch support for Magic Pad users. By that token, users will be able to use both mouse and voice commands, simultaneously, for instance when selecting a group of icons on the desktop, the user would be able to drag the batch onto the Siri icon, and use commands such as “Sort by date” or “Sort by location”, as well as delete, copy or cut operations.
Another interesting claim found in the patent is titled “Using digital assistant as a third hand”, which, as the name vaguely suggests, is a method of opening an application on the side of the main application, to maximize focus on the current task.
What to expect from Siri in Mac OS X 10.12
Sources cited by 9to5Mac, hint at the possibility that Siri for Mac could be nearly ready for deployement, with a polished and slick interface, featuring a main menu button, and a translucent message box with a colorful animated equalizer that activates when summoning Siri.
It has been speculated that Siri will also have its own control panel, with the ability to set a custom keyboard shortcut to activate Siri, as well as have the virtual assistant in a constant ready state from startup, in a similar way as on iOS devices.
Aside from the integration of Siri on the desktop, the new OS X release, which will likely launch alongside iOS 10, won’t bring drastic changes to the interface, which is a wise choice that leaves consumers extra time to get fully acquainted with the UI changes brought by Yosemite and El Capitan.
A little throwback trivia
“Hello Knowledge Navigator” is a 5 minutes and 45 seconds clip, created by Apple in 1987. The concept clip showcases essentially a very early, yet accurate idea of how digital assistants would work with desktop devices, although the device portrayed in the video seems to resemble something closer to an iPad, than a Mac computer.