2018 MacBook Pro Models With Touch Bar Support 'Hey Siri'

[MacRumors]

Apple has confirmed that its new 2018 MacBook Pro with Touch Bar models feature support for hands-free "Hey Siri."

From its website, emphasis ours:

Featured on the 13- and 15-inch models with Touch Bar, the Apple T2 chip includes a Secure Enclave coprocessor that provides the foundation for secure boot and encrypted storage capabilities. It also consolidates many discrete controllers, including the system management controller, audio controller, and SSD controller, into one. And the Apple T2 chip brings a familiar voice to MacBook Pro -- Hey Siri is always ready to open apps, find documents, play music, or answer your questions.

This means 2018 MacBook Pro users can say "Hey Siri," instead of clicking on the Siri icon in the macOS menu bar or tapping on the Siri button on the Touch Bar, to activate Apple's virtual assistant on the desktop.

The functionality is enabled by the Apple T2 chip, first introduced in the iMac Pro and now included in the new MacBook Pros.

The T2 chip integrates several previously separate components, including the system management controller, image signal processor, audio controller, and SSD controller, for expanded capabilities on the new MacBook Pro.

For instance, the T2 chip's image signal processor works with the FaceTime HD camera to enable enhanced tone mapping, improved exposure control, and face detection-based auto exposure and auto white balance. On the MacBook Pro, the chip also authenticates and secures Touch ID and Apple Pay.

The T2 chip also features a Secure Enclave coprocessor for secure boot and encrypted storage capabilities.

It's unclear if the iMac Pro will eventually support "Hey Siri" too.

Article Link: 2018 MacBook Pro Models With Touch Bar Support 'Hey Siri'

 

[sniffies]

My original MBP+TB feels more and more obsolete every day.

Oh well. My hand is on the keyboard all the time anyway. All I have to do is hold down command+space to trigger her.

 

[44267547]

As Someone who uses Siri in all my iOS products, this is a welcomed addition. I like the concept of using Siri integrated with the MacBook. Although, it will be interesting to see if Siri has any additional improvements, Especially with understanding various words and commands.

 

[rom3o]

I hope they add a Continuity feature soon to prevent multiple devices from activating to a “Hey Siri” request.

 

[yeah]

“FaceTime HD” camera... 720p in 2018

 

[kycophpd]

I hope they add a Continuity feature soon to prevent multiple devices from activating to a “Hey Siri” request.

THIS!!! I hate when I am in my car and my watch, iPhone and iPad all start responding. I then whisper hoping only one hears me.

 

[lovehateapple]

It's only a matter of time before FaceID comes to (all) Macs. Would also like to see Touch Bar available on the iMac.

 

[imola.zhp]

This will be pointless in a house with a HomePod though, right? My MBP and HomePod sit about 10’ away from each other. I have this problem with my phone and watch too. I usually use the crown on the watch to start conversing with Siri if I don’t want to use HomePod. Or type my command into Siri on my phone.

 

[falcn]

As Someone who uses Siri in all my iOS products, this is a welcomed addition. I like the concept of using Siri integrated with the MacBook. Although, it will be interesting to see if Siri has any additional improvements, Especially with understanding various words and commands.

Can you give a few real world examples of Siri usage on a Mac?

 

[tzm41]

The only times I have activated Siri on my Mac is hitting the fn key by mistake.

 

[gsapienza]

THIS!!! I hate when I am in my car and my watch, iPhone and iPad all start responding. I then whisper hoping only one hears me.

Uh this is already a thing. Even with a house with an Apple Watch, iPhone, iPad and HomePod; only one ever responds. And it is pretty smart about it. If I am just speaking out loud, the HomePod will respond. If I have my wrist raised, the Apple Watch will respond

 

[Tofupunch]

For those that mentioned the "Hey Siri" phrase triggering various devices, this was absolutely my question. So basically when the phrase is uttered, potentially one's  watch, iPhone, iPad, Mac, and HomePod could all respond at the same time? My iPad mini 2 does not have Hey Siri and my iPhone 6 only has the capability when plugged in (though I have it off anyway) so only my AW3 responds. But I'm just curious what may be in store for me as I begin upgrading my iDevices. You would think they would program some sort of hierarchy of devices based on distance, context, whatever...

 

[eltoslightfoot]

For those that mentioned the "Hey Siri" phrase triggering various devices, this was absolutely my question. So basically when the phrase is uttered, potentially one's  watch, iPhone, iPad, Mac, and HomePod could all respond at the same time? My iPad mini 2 does not have Hey Siri and my iPhone 6 only has the capability when plugged in (though I have it off anyway) so only my AW3 responds. But I'm just curious what may be in store for me as I begin upgrading my iDevices. You would think they would program some sort of hierarchy of devices based on distance, context, whatever...

I end up disabling it all on everything but my iPhone...

 

[Tofupunch]

I end up disabling it all on everything but my iPhone...

Haha, yeah, I'm wondering if this is really the only solution to the problem. Maybe with the new exGoogle employee now leading the Siri team, this will be addressed in the future?

 

[44267547]

Can you give a few real world examples of Siri usage on a Mac?

Perhaps you misread my post. I never indicated any examples using Siri with Mac, I stated I like the *concept* of Siri integrated into the MacBook and it’s a welcomed addition using Hands Free Siri as an option, Especially being I prefer hands-free with my iPhone commands, AirPod Controls, Apple Watch dictation while using Siri.

 

[QuarterSwede]

THIS!!! I hate when I am in my car and my watch, iPhone and iPad all start responding. I then whisper hoping only one hears me.

iOS is already programmed to respond on one device; it’s just buggy. 50% of the time it works by shutting the other devices up if I raise my wrist for the Apple Watch to listen.

 

[liberte1776]

It’s absolutely ridiculous that Macs suck the hind tit getting key features like this YEARS after iOS devices!! This should be available to MBP back to at least 2015 too!

 

[mazz0]

Uh this is already a thing. Even with a house with an Apple Watch, iPhone, iPad and HomePod; only one ever responds. And it is pretty smart about it. If I am just speaking out loud, the HomePod will respond. If I have my wrist raised, the Apple Watch will respond

HomePod response to me, not my Apple Watch S0. Maybe the S0 is too slow.

Anyway, what they really need is voice user recognition, so only I can activate my Siri. What we're going to get is people in an office activating Siri on their own Macs and their neighbours'!

 

[adamjackson]

That's nice but "Hey Siri" already works on my Watch, HomePod, iPhone and iPad. No issue getting her to hear me in every room of the house. I don't know too many people who only have a MacBook and don't have a compatible "Hey siri" device already.

 

[shyam09]

Does anyone use Siri on the laptop?

 

[Kobayagi]

It's too bad it doesn't have a UHS-II card slot like the iMac Pro. Oh wait, it doesn't have any card slot at all any more. Lame.

Haha, so true. Missing a regular usb port, somehow I'll someday be okay with that. But as someone who takes a lot of photos, I sure will mis the sd card slot. Oh and lets not forget about MagSafe, still can't believe they just ditched that. I'll be using my 'old' maxed out 2015 rMB Pro for as long as I can.

 

[macduke]

Haha, so true. Missing a regular usb port, somehow I'll someday be okay with that. But as someone who takes a lot of photos, I sure will mis the sd card slot. Oh and lets not forget about MagSafe, still can't believe they just ditched that. I'll be using my 'old' maxed out 2015 rMB Pro for as long as I can.

Yeah that's the same machine that I have at work. It's still good. Six cores and more RAM would be useful as Lightroom now takes better advantage of that with big performance updates in the past year, but my next personal machine is definitely going to be a desktop Mac of some sort. I'd imagine a sizable chunk of the MBP user base is photographers so removing that tiny slot seems pretty weird. The industry has pretty much settled around SD cards as the standard and the newest cards are pretty fast and huge. I've got 300MB/s cards for my Sony a7R III and so I use a UHS-II card adapter all the time and it's a pain compared to just popping it into the slot. If I'm not in a hurry I'll still use the slot because it's so dang convenient but UHS-II speed is very nice when it comes to downloading photos (in addition to clearing buffers during burst shooting 42MP RAW at 10fps).

I kind of wonder if Apple was getting concerned about how so many people were starting to buy those little adapters for micro-sd cards that turn them into a removable SSD and that cutting into their bottom line. It also wasn't a great user experience from my time trying it out. With the new SD card spec recently put out going up to 128TB at nearly 1GB/s, why buy a bigger SSD?

 

[Icaras]

THIS!!! I hate when I am in my car and my watch, iPhone and iPad all start responding. I then whisper hoping only one hears me.

What are you talking about? As others have already mentioned, Apple has already accounted for this. I forget if it was Eddie or Craig that mentioned it an interview, but only one of your devices will ever respond to Hey Siri because of intelligent awareness. I would make sure all your devices are signed into the same iCloud account.

 

[SBlue1]

Can you finally set a timer with Siri on the Mac?

 

[Braderunner]

“FaceTime HD” camera... 720p in 2018

When I read your comment, I thought, "There's no way. This is made up". Then I thought, "It really isn't that surprising...Apple always seems to throw in some seriously outdated hardware. But, given the cost difference between 720p and 1080p...in 2018". So I checked.....unbelievable.
I mean...ok, no one is going to be using a laptop to take photos or record video. But, still, it just doesn't match the display. I mean, what the....