Siri and Apple Maps are making a move to Mac OS X

Two major, yet controversial, features from iOS could be making their way to Apple’s OS X desktop operating system.

[aditude-amp id="flyingcarpet" targeting='{"env":"staging","page_type":"article","post_id":576595,"post_type":"story","post_chan":"none","tags":null,"ai":false,"category":"none","all_categories":"business,","session":"C"}']

The virtual assistant Siri and Apple’s Maps code have both appeared in early test builds of OS X 10.9, the next version of Apple’s desktop OS, which we expect to ship next year, sources tell 9to5Mac.

If true, the moves make sense for Apple: Siri is now one of the company’s most iconic features on the iPhone, even though it doesn’t work quite as well as advertised. And while Apple’s Maps application leaves much to be desired, such as ridiculous aerial views that somehow leave out things like the Statue of Liberty and the Hoover Dam, it can’t remain a mobile-only feature for long.

Apple already offers voice dictation, one of Siri’s big features, within OS X Mountain Lion. But desktop Mac users don’t have access to Siri’s voice-powered commands for looking up things on the web, checking your calendar, and the like. And even though Mac users aren’t exactly clamoring for Apple’s Maps, the company still needs to find a way to bring the service to the desktop.

The sources say that Apple is bringing Maps into OS X as a framework, not an app, which would allow developers to easily integrate it into their apps. But that could be the first step towards Apple releasing a full-fledged desktop Maps app (though that possibility is mostly conjecture at this point).