Love Siri? Mac users may soon get a taste of what Siri for iOS has to offer, if Apple's patent application is approved.
Filed Aug. 7, the patent is titled "Intelligent Digital Assistant in a Desktop Environment" and is described to be "methods and systems related to interfaces for interacting with a digital assistant in a desktop environment." While it is essentially Siri being made available as well on Macs, it is not a simple port. The patent application describes technology that will not only bring Siri to OS X but will leverage a Mac's superior hardware and software to push the limits of multi-tasking beyond what iPads and iPhones are capable of.
According to reports, Siri for Mac will be able to process text input and natural speech to perform actions such as conducting searches, inputting and retrieving information and completing tasks. It will also be possible to summon the desktop digital assistant from any point within the OS, giving users the assistance they need whatever they are doing.
Most notable of the features that the desktop digital assistant will have, however, is the ability to become a "third hand" for the user. Say, a mouse is already in use dragging a certain object. This means the user cannot use the same mouse for another operation, such as creating the destination folder for the object. When a situation like this arises, the desktop digital assistant may be used to accomplish the secondary task of creating the destination folder through a different method of input, such as speech. This third-hand feature may also boost productivity because it doesn't require the user to turn away from their current task just to do what they had assigned the desktop digital assistant to do. Focus is not broken even when multi-tasking so primary tasks may be completed sooner.
While a patent application is already in place, it doesn't look like Siri for Mac will be coming anytime soon. It's absent from the OS X Yosemite preview, for one, so it will certainly not be arriving to Mac users this fall. OS X and iOS are separate products but they already share resources and features so it's just a matter of time before Siri comes to Mac given that the digital assistant is a key component in iOS. If Siri does come to Mac, it will provide a seamless experience for Apple users, what with their digital activity following them across devices.
