Apple Job Posting Hints at Siri for Macs in OS X 10.9

[nuckinfutz]

I'll take the job.

[AppleScruff1]

Originally Posted by sza

Siri for Mac may not be so useful as it for iOS since it is easier to type on a Mac.

Siri isn't really very useful for iOS either.

[Rocketman]

Originally Posted by Apple

we take every application that Siri interacts with, distill it down to fundamentals, and implement that application's UI in a theme fitting with Siri. Consider it an entire miniature OS within the OS

This the instructive portion. The Oral UI of the iPhone, the power of a Mac. Hmmm.

[iGrip]

Originally Posted by AppleScruff1

Siri isn't really very useful for iOS either.

Is that the best metric?

What it lacks in usefulness it makes up for in magicalness.

[CptSky]

Originally Posted by mrsir2009

Yeah, I’m pretty sure linux is built on unix too. Just not as pretty

Linux is a Unix-like system. It isn't based on Unix and it doesn't conform to the Unix standard.

Mac OS X is based on BSD which is a Unix distribution. So, it's a Unix system... Since Mac OS X Snow Leopard, the system is conform to the Unix certification. iOS being based on Mac OS X, it's also a Unix system, but not certificated.

[Saturn1217]

I don't care if they put this in as long as it's optional...

The last thing I want is to talk to my computer. Maybe if you live alone or have your own private office you might feel inclined, but I can't think of anything more annoying than someone shouting at their computer trying to get it to do something (and of course having to repeat it a few times). Do people not have anyone to talk to so now everyone wants to talk to their gadgets?

I don't know whether to hope that Apple doesn't change anything in 10.9 except adding Siri and Maps (both of which I can easily ignore) or whether I could dare to hope that Apple will actually work on making OS X better... ML is pretty solid IMO so maybe the best I can hope for in 10.9 is that they don't screw anything up...

[Matthew Yohe]

Originally Posted by Saturn1217

I don't care if they put this in as long as it's optional...

The last thing I want is to talk to my computer.

No, I'm pretty sure this is going to be the required method of text entry from now on.

[lunaoso]

I can see anything that can run 10.9 running Siri because it would be too easy to just download/create a hack to run it n "unsupported hardware". Unless Apple has some crazy "Super Gatekeeper X10" thing happening that restricts us to the MAS (which is highly unlikely). Plus if the did that no one would upgrade.

[adnbek]

Originally Posted by Sam Yikin

AFAIK the first iPhone with Siri needed a special speech processing chip but desktop/laptop processors should be able to handle it on their own.

Incorrect. All speech processing is done through Apple's servers. There is no special "chip" needed. I had Siri running perfectly fine on my iPhone 4 until I upgraded to a 5.

[ArtOfWarfare]

Sending my résumé Apple's way tonight...

[MCIowaRulz]

I sure hope that Mac OS X 10.9 uses the full dictation alal Dragon Dictate, I have handwriting issues and I prefer to "Talk" vs Type

[bketchum]

I'm excited for this. I use my right hand on the mouse and my left hand on the keyboard. It would be great to have a third interface point - voice.

I think we could see a lot of exciting new uses for Siri if hooks are made available for third party apps to use Siri as well.

[Mak47]

I can't wait to see Siri on the Mac. I can appreciate that Siri has some limitations on iOS, but for the handful of things I use it for, it works very well.

What I want it to do, that I'm not sure it will, is control applications, search for and open files etc. And of course do it all contextually. For example, I can say open my Pro Tools session from last night--and she will do it.

What would be even better--though a privacy concern--would be the ability to simply say "Siri" and have 'her' ask how she can help, instead of pushing buttons.

I know it's just a minute or two of time savings, sometimes even less, but it will feel like everything is so much more efficient.

[santaliqueur]

Originally Posted by AppleScruff1

Siri isn't really very useful for iOS either.

Speak for yourself. I find usefulness out of it every day.

[nuckinfutz]

Does this mean new Bluetooth keyboards with a Siri button on them?????


How awesome would that be?

[Jimmy James]

Originally Posted by kbt1020

only will work on 2013 macs as older mac hardware is not compatible

qft

[saud0488]

Originally Posted by AppleScruff1

Siri isn't really very useful for iOS either.

Yup. It's so poorly executed. Just another feature to bog down OSX

[SILen(e]

Originally Posted by adnbek

Incorrect. All speech processing is done through Apple's servers. There is no special "chip" needed. I had Siri running perfectly fine on my iPhone 4 until I upgraded to a 5.

Processing what you meant is done on Apple's servers, but processing the speech itself is mostly done on your device.

The Audience chip in the iPhone 4S was used to ignore noise in the recording.

I'd bet that in the same noisy spot, an iPhone 4S/iPhone 5 would have much better voice recognition than an iPhone 4 hacked to run Siri.

In a quiet room, recognition rates would most likely be the same.


That's also the reason why it is very likely that Siri on Mac will run on any Mac capable of running OS X 10.9 - because they aren't meant to be used in noisy environments (like railway platforms) and seldom will be used in those environments - so there's no need for special technology to boost the voice recognition rates in newer hardware.

And of course - voice recognition (the Siri dictation part) is already implemented, so unless Siri on Mac can do really amazing stuff that requires more computing power than available on a 2012 MacBook Air, there's no need for new hardware.

And IF it could do such things that require more hardware performance - i would gladly update, because that would change the whole way to interact with a desktop/notebook computer.

But i doubt that we'll see something like that in Siri's first OS X incarnation.

[marc11]

Originally Posted by Sam Yikin

I'm pretty sure that Siri on Mac will NOT be exclusive to new Macs, and here's why:
1. Siri as an exclusive might be enough to sell $200 phones but not >$1000 Macs. Using it to sell a $20 OS sounds like it might be good enough.
2. I think that any hardware limitations that might've prevented Siri from being on older iPhones won't prevent it coming to older Macs. Why? Because I just dictated this sentence on my 2008 iMac and the speech recognition was just as good as Siri on my iPad 4. I believe it is because of the difference in processing power; AFAIK the first iPhone with Siri needed a special speech processing chip but desktop/laptop processors should be able to handle it on their own.

Siri is on the iPad mini and iPhone 4s but not the iPad 2...just saying, Apple is often full of BS when they claim hardware limitation on "older" hardware. Look how many people run Mountain Lion on "older unsupported" hardware without issue.

I could absolutley see this being excluded from anything older than 2011 machines.

[mryingster]

Originally Posted by kbt1020

Only will work on 2013 Macs as older Mac hardware is not compatible

I'm not sure if you are joking or not... Sadly, this is probably true...

[somethingelsefl]

That job summary sounds more like the pitch for an infomercial or motivational speaker than an Apple job.

[rei101]

Video editing or Excell with Siri... nice try.

[daneoni]

So many spiteful readers in this thread.

[starbird]

Originally Posted by marc11

Look how many people run Mountain Lion on "older unsupported" hardware without issue.

I would love to know how this is possible. It won't even let me download it on my Mac mini 2,1. Heck, wouldn't let me download Lion until I upgraded my RAM.

[marc11]

Originally Posted by starbird

I would love to know how this is possible. It won't even let me download it on my Mac mini 2,1. Heck, wouldn't let me download Lion until I upgraded my RAM.

There is a huge thread here under the Mountain Lion forum. I would start there.