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What're the chances the next iMacs have exclusive Siri?

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blurb23

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Feb 25, 2007
524
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What do you think are the chances?

Apple didn't bring Siri to the iPhone 4 to sell the 4S - do you think Apple could possibly do that with iMacs?

Dictation is part of Mountain Lion, so it's logical to assume that Siri is the next step. Plus Macs (especially the iMac, with a constant power source) could have Siri constantly running, without having to worry about power consumption associated with having the mic always listening for the keywords.

Only reason I asked is because I just recently bought an iMac - still in the return window, but I won't be by the time September 12th rolls around (assuming, of course, Apple does refresh iMacs then [even if it's a silent refresh]).
 
blurb23 said:
What do you think are the chances?

Apple didn't bring Siri to the iPhone 4 to sell the 4S - do you think Apple could possibly do that with iMacs?

Dictation is part of Mountain Lion, so it's logical to assume that Siri is the next step. Plus Macs (especially the iMac, with a constant power source) could have Siri constantly running, without having to worry about power consumption associated with having the mic always listening for the keywords.

Only reason I asked is because I just recently bought an iMac - still in the return window, but I won't be by the time September 12th rolls around (assuming, of course, Apple does refresh iMacs then [even if it's a silent refresh]).
Click to expand...


Not likely but not impossible.
 
It is possible but would that really alter your decision to buy the newer machine over the older one you just bought?
 
jessica. said:
It is possible but would that really alter your decision to buy the newer machine over the older one you just bought?
Click to expand...

Yup.

If it's a simple spec bump, meh, whatever.

But if it's something spiffy and new like Siri, and I'm still within the return window such that I can essentially upgrade for no trouble at all, then absolutely. I bought my iMac from the Apple Store yesterday with only a 14 day return. If I go back and get one from Best Buy instead, then I'll have a 45 day return window.
 
I guess I don't find Siri to be as spiffy as others. On the iPhone it is nice, but I don't know about sitting here using it on a desktop.
 
It is interesting idea, I can see the uses for that, especially integration with iTunes and Calendar would be cool.
Trigerring Siri with clapping your hands or apple remote? Nice.
 
Am I the only one that mostly uses Siri to set a timer, reminder, or event in Calendar.app? Tedious tasks like this are where Siri shines for me.
 
I would not expect the next iMacs to have "exclusive Siri."

I would expect if Apple decides to introduce Siri on the iMac it will come in the form of an OS update somewhere down the line.
 
old-wiz said:
Exactly. Why would we need a hardware update to introduce what's a software feature?
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Actually, there is some noise reduction hardware that's specific to the iPhone 4S's A5 SoC.

http://www.appleinsider.com/article...e_earsmart_noise_reduction_tech_for_siri.html

Would a Mac need dedicated noise reduction hardware for a device that's not typically used in variable noisy environments like a cellular handset? Maybe, maybe not.

Could the noise reduction function be adequately duplicated in software? Maybe, maybe not.

My guess is that there's a Siri-like assistant running on Macs in a locked lab somewhere on the Apple campus. Will the feature ever ship? Maybe, maybe not.

However, we do know that Apple prototypes many different things and only a few make it to a store shelf in a shipping product.

For Siri to be useful, it needs deep integration with the operating system, to control things like the calendar, e-mail, address book, iMessage/Facetime, iTunes, etc. It doesn't appear that OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion has these hooks (i.e., no one has found them) so even if the hardware was ready/capable, I'm not sure the software is.

Most likely, it would come with a future major revision of OS X, like 10.9 (if ever).
 
I believe Siri will eventually come to all of Apple's devices. Maybe iPod not, but all of those which can handle iOS and ML and over...
 
I really don't know how much I'd use it. For some reason it seems like I'll use it a lot on my iPhone (upgrading from 4 to 5 soon), but I just don't know about talking to my computer. Depends on if anyone else is in the room I guess. :rolleyes:
 
Razorhog said:
I really don't know how much I'd use it. For some reason it seems like I'll use it a lot on my iPhone (upgrading from 4 to 5 soon), but I just don't know about talking to my computer. Depends on if anyone else is in the room I guess. :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

Maybe not while you're at it, but if you're playing music while laying in bed or cleaning or something, telling it to play a specific song or check the weather/your email could be pretty neat.
 
blurb23 said:
What do you think are the chances?

Apple didn't bring Siri to the iPhone 4 to sell the 4S - do you think Apple could possibly do that with iMacs?

Dictation is part of Mountain Lion, so it's logical to assume that Siri is the next step. Plus Macs (especially the iMac, with a constant power source) could have Siri constantly running, without having to worry about power consumption associated with having the mic always listening for the keywords.

Only reason I asked is because I just recently bought an iMac - still in the return window, but I won't be by the time September 12th rolls around (assuming, of course, Apple does refresh iMacs then [even if it's a silent refresh]).
Click to expand...

Doubt it. I bet it'll be on the real Apple TV before any new Macs get it.
 
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