Apple New Patent Expected to Bring Siri-like PDA for MAC OS X

Technology giant Apple has filed for a new patent, with which the Cupertino-based company could bring its Siri-like personal digital assistant (PDA) to MAC OS X.

Apple's latest patent, titled 'Intelligent Digital Assistant in a Desktop Environment', throws enough hints that the company's loyalists (desktop and laptop users running Mac OSX versions) across the world can certainly expect a virtual voice-based animated digital assistant with enhanced functionality.

If Apple's latest patent filing is approved, and if the Siri- like PDA does indeed manage to penetrate the company's desktop user base, Apple would be in a position to overtake rivals (predominantly Microsoft which has its own PDA in the form of Cortana), in terms of offering 'ease of system operation' functionality to users.

Till date, Apple's Siri has been confined only to the Cupertino-based company's iOS operating platforms.

Now, with Apple's patent (to introduce a PDA on desktops) being filed way back, in February 2014, it is possible that the company could introduce an enhanced Siri on to desktops with its new Yosemite OS X, or possible even as an update to the stable release of Yosemite OS X.

Expected Features in Siri for Mc OSX:

If Apple manages to officially introduce a standalone on its Mac OS X desktops, machines running the company's OS X operating platform could get a lot smarter, thanks to voice input/controls.

Users could simply speak to their Mac OS X computers, and instruct the PDA to open application, for use, at any point in time. This aspect is even highlighted in Apple's patent filing.

"A method for disambiguating between voice input for dictation and voice input for interacting with a digital assistant is provided.

At a user device comprising one or more processors and memory: the user device receives a command to invoke the speech service; in response to receiving the command: the user device determines whether an input focus of the user device is in a text input area shown on a display of the user device"., states Apple's patent application.

Voice controls in Mac OS X desktop machines means that the Siri-like PDA would have to communicate with remote Apple's servers in order to understand/translate user commands, and to figure out an accurate response to these commands.

This mechanism is adapted by Siri in Apple's Ios operating system.

Intuitive System Operation

A Siri-like PDA for Mac OS X will no doubt bring enhanced functionality to future OS X versions, at the same time, the voice assistant if officially ported to desktops/laptops could convert the entire system into a completely intuitive, futuristic machine extensively accepting voice commands from users.

Apple, in a patent filed in 2012 has made public its intention to introduce, a functionality similar to 'automatic unlocking', in its future iPhones.