We’ve all seen the rumors that Apple will finally offer Siri integration in the upcoming release of OS X 10.12 “Rushmore.” (OK, we made that name up.) Now comes leaked screenshots that support the rumors, showing a colorful icon in the Dock, and a black and white icon in the Menu Bar.
In the menu bar, there’s a simple Siri black and white icon that features the word “Siri” surrounded by a box, while the full dock icon is more colorful and features a colorful Siri waveform in the style of other built-in app icons. Clicking on either of the icons brings up a Siri waveform to give users a visual cue that the virtual assistant is listening for commands, much like on iOS devices when the Home button is held down.
The report also indicates that in addition to accessing the virtual assistant through the Dock icon or the menu bar, users will also have a hands-free “Hey Siri” activation command available. The option is disabled by default, but can be turned on in Preferences.
Siri on the Mac should work much like it does on iOS devices, with the ability to answer the same type of queries, open apps, do web searches, send text message, read emails, and more.
Of course, there is the usual disclaimer for a report like this. Work is still continuing on OS X 10.12, and the icons could be tweaked between now and any announcement. Heck, the feature could be dropped from OS X 10.12 all together if its performance and user experience isn’t up to snuff.
We should see OS X 10.12 debut at Apple’s June Worldwide Developers Conference, which will be held June 13 to June 17. We should also get our first look at new versions of iOS, watchOS, and tvOS.
