Siri debuted with iOS 5 in late 2011, and ever since, we’ve been expecting Apple’s voice assistant to make the move over to OS X. Job listings and patent applications pointed to the eventual debut, but we’re still waiting.
But Apple might mark Siri’s fifth birthday by giving her a new playground to explore: your Mac. 9to5Mac‘s Mark Gurman, a frequent source for Apple leaks, says the company is finally prepared to unleash Siri on Mac with this year’s release of OS X 10.12, which is codenamed “Fuji.”
Why now? Gurman says that Apple has tested Siri on Mac since 2012, if not earlier, but that the company finally has “a clear vision for Siri on the Mac along with a polished user-interface.” Siri on Mac will exist in the Menu Bar, letting you click a Siri icon to bring up the voice control functionality. Keyboard shortcuts will also be available, and if your Mac is plugged in, you’ll be able to say “Hey Siri” at any time to bring it up and speak out your commands.
As shown in the mockup below (by Michael Steeber for 9to5Mac), Siri is said to occupy a dark and translucent menu using the same kind of vibrant sound waves seen on other platforms of late. However, the interface hasn’t been finalized and could be changed before a public debut. Gurman suggests that Apple will first announce the feature at WWDC 2016 in June before releasing it in OS X 10.12 this autumn.
Beyond Siri, the report says that OS X 10.12 should be primarily focused on small tweaks rather than an array of other big, splashy features. And don’t be surprised if we hear first details about iOS 10 soon too: 9to5Mac teases a coming article on that, too.
Source: 9to5Mac
