Some Mac users may still be getting to grips with the intricacies of OS X Mountain Lion and all that it has to offer, but reports today are suggesting that Apple is well underway with testing of the next major release of OS X. Currently sitting at version OS X 10.8.2, the operating system that powers Apple’s Mac machines, if the reports prove to be accurate then it looks like the Cupertino based company is planning on making some major changes in OS X 10.9 that could see the company’s digital Siri assistant and Maps integration being offered to users.
The unnamed sources cited in the reports are claiming that the initial builds of OS X 10.9 feature a fully-functional version of Siri that would be implemented in much the same way that the assistant was included on the iPad with the release of iOS 6. When OS X Mountain Lion was released, it brought voice dictation abilities to all compatible Macs, and considering the dictation setup is based on the same infrastructure as Siri, it is feasible to assume that the evolving assistant software will make an appearance on Macs going forward. 
As well as potentially bundling Siri into the next-generation of OS X, it is also being speculated that Tim Cook and his engineers are planning on releasing the new desktop operating system complete with the controversial Apple mapping service that first made an appearance on iOS with the launch of iOS 6. The vector based Apple Maps app on mobile is no stranger to controversy and it has widely been reported that Scott Forstall ultimately lost his job due to his reluctance to sign the Apple released letter that apologizes for the shortcomings of the software. However, the company must feel that they have made significant improvements to the service if they plan to bundle it into OS X next year.
Although Mountain Lion has only been available through the Mac App Store for the last five months, it looks like Apple has actually been developing OS X 10.9 alongside the current release in preparation for a mid 2013 launch. If the company plan on following the same launch schedule that we have become used to with Lion and Mountain Lion, then we should expect to see more detailed leaks in the coming months.
(via 9to5Mac)
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