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Siri Coming to the Mac Menu Bar in OS X 10.12 Later This Year

Sure this will be a big subject for WWDC in a few months. Will there be an API for third party apps to take advantage of a MacOS-based Siri?
 
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Probably already been said, but this would be a great use for the completely useless eject button on my keyboard that came with my iMac, which doesn't have an optical drive
 
Crzyrio said:
FINALLY! I will love this



While that is very doable on the iPhones, it is not one bit easy on Macs because they use ARM.
Unless they introduce Intel + Arm Macbook or Arm macbook
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The co-processors don't need to be ARM or anything (they can be or not), they're independent from the CPU like the M9 on the Iphone.
 
djtech42 said:
You could use Bartender to hide the icons.

https://www.macbartender.com
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second that, it's awesome
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Siri will make HER long-anticipated debut on Mac in OS X 10.12 later this year...
 
Sandstorm said:
Are you all serious? That's what, 20x20 pixels? THIS is your problem with OS X? :D
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Not really a "problem", but it's still useless when you know the keyboard shortcut, so why force us to have it there at all? Especially when you can gather large amounts of menubar icons from many, many other applications.
 
MrUNIMOG said:
This.

That's exactly what I'm thinking about. With all that continuity and handoff stuff going on and bluetooth enabled all the time anyway, you could have just ONE Siri on all of your devices. If several devices are around and recognize you saying "Hey Siri!", all those devices' mics combined could be used for optimal understanding of your following command. Then based on what you say and other factors like proximity, your devices could negotiate on which Siri will answer you.

If your Watch is raised, no other device should answer and Siri would also answer silently. If not, she would speak to you through one of your other nearby devices.

For things like "Remind me of [thing] when I get [place]" or just generic questions, it wouldn't matter which device answered, so Siri would just answer on the one closest to you (or the one you're currently using). For things like "Open [App/File]", Siri would answer on the device you're currently using or you most recently interacted with. For device-specific requests like "Turn the brightness down", it would be the same, or you could specify like "Turn my phone's brightness down" or "Reduce the volume on my iMac". The possibilities are endless.

I have good hope they'll figure out how to do it best. It's Apple, after all.
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I agree. Totally speculating, but it would be cool if Apple releases an Amazon Echo competitor. That's Apple's thing: Take something that already exists, and make it better and more whole. Picture it as something that functions as your Wifi router with Time Capsule, HomeKit hub, and coordinates Siri throughout your home. Maybe they could sell microphone/speaker combination units that sync with it in multiple rooms, and connect via wifi, like Sonos speakers. Maybe even partner with Sonos to make "Siri speakers" that have microphones and support built in and can play music. Then from anywhere in your house:

"Hey Siri, play ______ (playlist/album/etc.) in the den."
"Hey Siri, start the coffee maker." (would be IDEAL for when you don't wanna get out of bed in the morning ;)
"Hey Siri, is the garage door closed? ... "Oh ok, close it."
"Hey Siri, add toothpaste to my shopping list." while you're standing at the bathroom sink
"Hey Siri, lock up the house." when getting into bed
"Hey Siri, preheat the oven to 400 degrees."

Okay that last one might be a ways off.. but you get the idea. You could even ask Siri on your iPhone while out and about if you left the oven or any lights on, or if you locked the doors. The possibilities are endless.

It could be a real game changer if Apple pulled it off. If successful, Apple has the power and influence to make connected homes a widespread reality.
 
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Keirasplace said:
The co-processors don't need to be ARM or anything (they can be or not), they're independent from the CPU like the M9 on the Iphone.
Click to expand...

Yeah but intel doesn't allow modifications to their chips so they can't do that. Apple makes their own AX chips so they can take something like the M9 processor and place it on the same die, thus making it more efficient and customize how everything works.
 
pier said:
Again Apple trailing behind the competition.
[doublepost=1456372284][/doublepost]


Except you can't hide the Spotlight or Notification Center icons.
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If you disable System Integrity Protection, you can hide any system icons in the menubar.
 
djtech42 said:
You could use Bartender to hide the icons.

https://www.macbartender.com
Click to expand...

I tried that program and even that doesn't seem to have the option to hide spotlight.
[doublepost=1456397172][/doublepost]
KdParker said:
This is the first steps to us interfacing with our toys/laptops/phones with voice commands primarily.
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unless you want to actually communicate without everyone around you hearing you. There's a reason 'texting' has become the way the young generation chooses as their primary form of communication.

Voice control will never become a 'primary' way of interfacing for those two fundemental reasons: Discretion, and privacy.

It's a nice niche feature, but it's not the 'future' as you envision.
 
stanman64 said:
I agree. Totally speculating, but it would be cool if Apple releases an Amazon Echo competitor. That's Apple's thing: Take something that already exists, and make it better and more whole. Picture it as something that functions as your Wifi router with Time Capsule, HomeKit hub, and coordinates Siri throughout your home. Maybe they could sell microphone/speaker combination units that sync with it in multiple rooms, and connect via wifi, like Sonos speakers. Maybe even partner with Sonos to make "Siri speakers" that have microphones and support built in and can play music. Then from anywhere in your house:

"Hey Siri, play ______ (playlist/album/etc.) in the den."
"Hey Siri, start the coffee maker." (would be IDEAL for when you don't wanna get out of bed in the morning ;)
"Hey Siri, is the garage door closed? ... "Oh ok, close it."
"Hey Siri, add toothpaste to my shopping list." while you're standing at the bathroom sink
"Hey Siri, lock up the house." when getting into bed
"Hey Siri, preheat the oven to 400 degrees."

Okay that last one might be a ways off.. but you get the idea. You could even ask Siri on your iPhone while out and about if you left the oven or any lights on, or if you locked the doors. The possibilities are endless.

It could be a real game changer if Apple pulled it off. If successful, Apple has the power and influence to make connected homes a widespread reality.
Click to expand...

The functionality sounds great but you're thinking about the input method incorrectly. Siri works best on the Apple Watch, which is already always with you (if you're clever enough to buy one). It doesn't make sense to have a clunky "hub" that sits in one place while you're moving around the entire house. Buying and setting up an expensive, multi-room speaker setup is superfluous when you have your Apple Watch on constantly and/or your iPhone.
 
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TurboPGT! said:
Let me be the first to say, the easier the input method on the device, the less value I see for Siri.

AppleTV = most difficult for input = Best for Siri
iOS devices = modest input difficulty/speed = Good for Siri
Mac = easiest/fastest input via keyboard and mouse = less than ideal for Siri.

I'm not sure I see myself waiting on Siri, which takes forever most of the time, instead of just doing it. I'm already seated with my hands on the keys. It just doesn't fit with the application for Siri.
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First we have history. When Steve Jobs first got interested in building a computer for people to use, he wanted to eliminate the keyboard. That's right, he wanted input to be just the mouse.

We are moving towards eliminating keyboards. There are LOTS of hurdles still. If my 5 year old daughter comes in while I'm trying to use Siri, she's going to be talking over me. What Siri gets won't make any sense.

Next, ubiquity. One input method for all products. I know Apple has said they aren't moving iOS and OS X together. I believe that. What I THINK is going to happen, is that eventually Apple is going to increase security of users products by getting out of the cloud game. Build a Mini with OS X server, and have THAT be YOUR cloud server. Then use iOS as the interface for it. If iOS can do everything that you can do on OS X as far as processing and Input/Output, then OS X has to be about storage, right? My iPad mini has better resolution than my MacBook Pro quad i7. My MBP is a better processor and storage system. I spend most of my time on my iPad though.

Really, OS X is going to be about storage management and processing. iOS will be about processing and I/O.

My opinions are expressed here, and they may be WRONG!
 
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nick42983 said:
The functionality sounds great but you're thinking about the input method incorrectly. Siri works best on the Apple Watch, which is already always with you (if you're clever enough to buy one). It doesn't make sense to have a clunky "hub" that sits in one place while you're moving around the entire house. Buying and setting up an expensive, multi-room speaker setup is superfluous when you have your Apple Watch on constantly and/or your iPhone.
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Respectfully, I think it is you that doesn't understand how the technology works.

The watch isn't doing the processing, it is sending the audio input to be processed elsewhere. Apple could make it so that the "elsewhere" is your own "clunky box" instead of all the way to Apple to do it for you. I submit this is what is going to happen in the near future now that Apple is removing themselves from being a middle man due to security issues. Apple does not want to be responsible for handing your personal information over to the FBI, a position I agree with.

So the technology HAS to move to you being responsible for your own processing, which means you have a box to do that. We are now past Moore's law. We are learning to be more efficient, but for the foreseeable future, processor power will not be doubling like it used to. So it is unlikely that you are going to have a chip in a watch that can process human speech in the immediate future. And if it can do that processing, the battery life will be measured in minutes.

I foresee the iPhone going away. You have a mic in your watch. All you need is speakers (bluetooth headphones) and your iPad makes a more effective "iPhone" than the iPhone does. Longer battery life, bigger, higher resolution screen. "But you can't fit it in a pocket." So? I carry my iPad with me at all times now. I ALSO have to carry my iPhone with me. If my iPad is always with me, why do I need a brick in my pocket? The ONLY think my iPhone does that my iPad doesn't is be a phone. Put phone functionality in my iPad and I don't have to have an extra device for no reason.

Combine Siri processing and all of "iCloud" (remote storage, backups, web access to apps, mail services, etc) onto your own box, and Apple has just removed themselves as the middle man, and has no access to your data. This absolves them of liability AND legal responsibility. It is a move they will be making, I guarantee it.

I realize I'm nobody. I realize I these are my opinions. I realize I could be wrong. But I find the evidence compelling to support my case.
 
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nick42983 said:
The functionality sounds great but you're thinking about the input method incorrectly. Siri works best on the Apple Watch, which is already always with you (if you're clever enough to buy one). It doesn't make sense to have a clunky "hub" that sits in one place while you're moving around the entire house. Buying and setting up an expensive, multi-room speaker setup is superfluous when you have your Apple Watch on constantly and/or your iPhone.
Click to expand...

That is a solid point. Unless you already have a solid Sonos set up ;)
 
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d21mike said:
I think we need a "Hey SIRI" Manager. Normally I have my iPhone, iPad plugged in charging while on the computer or watching TV. If I say "Hey Siri" multiple devices will answer. For the TV I just use the Remote Button. Not sure it supports "Hey SIRI". Maybe some kind of Handoff.
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If we could give our devices discrete names it would solve the problem.
 
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