Apple Mac OS X 10.12 will bring Siri voice assistant to the computer, report says

The feature is currently available on almost every other major Apple product, including the Watch

Voice-controlled assistants like Siri and Google Now could be a way into your phone (Oli Scarff/Getty Images)

Apple is set to bring Siri to its Macs, according to a new report.

The voice assistant debuted with the iPhone 4s in 2011. Since then, it has gradually made its way to the rest of Apple’s line-up, and is now set to make its last big jump and arrive on the Mac.

The computer version of Siri will be much the same as the one on the phone. It will be started by pressing a button or saying the words “Hey Siri”, and will allow people to search through their computers or start tasks.

But it will live in a little icon in the top right corner, according to a report from 9to5mac. It will also feature shortcuts that will allow it to be operated from the keyboard, according to the same report.

The voice assistant will feature the same dark look with waves of colour representing sound as is found on the Apple Watch, iPhone, iPad and Apple TV. But that could be re-designed before the release in summer, according to the report.

Siri on the Mac will serve as the big feature of the next update to Mac OS, 9to5mac reported. Otherwise, the release is likely to mostly offer speed improvements and bug fixes, rather than major new features.

The new version of Mac OS is likely to be revealed at Apple’s WWDC event in June and then released later on in the year, in September or October. The company tends to release its Mac OS updates at the same time as iOS, which Apple is set to release the tenth major version of this year.

Apple has been increasing the focus on Siri over the last year. It launched its Apple TV at its iPhone 6s event in September, which was introduced with Siri-themed branding and brought the assistant to the company’s set-top box.