OS X 10.9 could add Siri to Apple desktops and laptops

Posted on 6 Feb 2013 at 09:21, by Gareth Halfacree

Apple's next-generation operating system, OS X 10.9, is likely to come with an integrated version of the Siri personal assistant currently exclusive to iOS devices such as the iPhone 5 smartphone - the first time the system has been made available on a desktop or laptop.

Siri, originally a third-party add-on app for all iOS devices, was bought by Apple and turned into one of the biggest selling points of its smartphones and tablets. Recognising the user's voice and engaging them in a simple conversation, Siri allows iPhone owners to set up reminders, check the weather, search the web, read and reply to messages and access location-based information - and all simply by pressing a single button and asking a natural-language question.

It's a clever system, but one which remains restricted to iOS - at least, for now. A job listing, since removed from the company's website but captured by AppleInsider looks for a Siri UI (User Interface) engineer with experience of application programming interfaces on both the desktop and laptop OS X operating system as well as the mobile-centric iOS platform. The result: a firm suggestion that Apple is bringing Siri to the desktop.

The latest version of the company's OS X platform already includes some core Siri functionality in the form of a speech recognition system dubbed 'Dictation' alongside a text-to-speech engine - both core to Siri's operation. All that is missing is the Siri engine itself, which sends the queries to a central server and acts on the response received - whether that's reading out an incoming email or opening an application.

Apple, as is usual, has remained silent on its plans for OS X 10.9, but Siri integration does seem likely following the iOS-like features added to OS X 10.8.

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