Apple’s annual WWDC conference is about to get underway in California, with the iPhone maker expected to unveil major upgrades across operating systems. iOS 10 and Mac OS X 10.12 will be the most important announcements of the show, though Apple should also detail tvOS and watchOS advancements. Multiple reports claimed that Apple will focus on Siri at the show, with the digital voice-based virtual assistant expected to get smarter, but also to be available on the Mac.
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Sources familiar with Apple’s plans have told The Wall Street Journal that Apple plans to open Siri to third parties, allowing developers to incorporate Siri support in their apps. The move is meant to help Apple better compete against similar products from Amazon, Google, and Microsoft.
Amazon’s Alexa, the voice assistant from the Echo home device, is very popular with customers, even though it’s younger than Siri. In addition to pulling off some tricks that are similar to what Siri can do, Alexa is also integrated into multiple apps. Users can hail an Uber, order pizza, or check online bank statements with simple voice commands. The same kind of features might be available on Siri starting with iOS 10 this fall.
A Siri SDK is expected to be released at the show.
But Apple’s digital assistant isn’t getting better only on the iPad or iPhone. The same sources revealed that Apple is going to bring Siri to the Mac this year. Details about Siri on the Mac are scarce at this point, but previous leaks and reports have also suggested Apple is finally ready to make the move.
