by Tom Nelson
If you’re a Mac user, you may have wondered if Apple would ever bring Siri to the Mac desktop. The answer seems to be “maybe.” The folks at AppleInsider noticed that Apple recently filed a patent for an “Intelligent digital assistant in a desktop environment.” The patent describes the use of gestures on a touch-sensitive surface, such as the trackpad in portable Macs or the Magic Trackpad device Apple currently sells for desktop users, as one way of invoking the Siri-like assistant; another option would be clicking a dock icon.
Image courtesy of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
The virtual assistant would be able to respond to voice instructions, as well as use the larger display and computing power of a desktop or portable Mac to support more complex interaction than is available on smaller devices.