Apple iMac Pro To Support Always-On Siri Voice Control Thanks To A10 Fusion Co-Processor
Apple’s new iMac Pro is expected by the end of this year and it will apparently come with an A10 Fusion co-processor that would handle a number of things, including always-on “Hey Siri” voice control.
Two developers, Jonathan Levin and Steve Troughton-Smith, have combed through Apple’s BridgeOS 2.0 software package and found some interesting tidbits of information, such as that the iMac Pro will pack an A10 Fusion ARM chip under the hood. No Macs have ever used an Apple A-series chip so far, so the upcoming iMac Pro will mark an exciting first. This indicates that Apple is seeking to apply some of its mobile expertise to the computer area as well, albeit it’s starting small at first.
At this point, it seems that Apple is looking to experiment with a version of the A10 Fusion chip found inside the iPhone 7 and use it as a co-processor for the upcoming iMac Pro. According to the developers, the ARM co-processor will handle a number of tasks such as the boot processor, the FaceTime camera, and security. This way, Apple could use the iMac Pro as a test bed for “tighter control,” although this may not necessarily mean more restrictions for the macOS or the iMac.
Looks like the iMac Pro's ARM coprocessor is arm64 ? Seems to handle the macOS boot & security process, as expected; iMac Pro lets Apple experiment with tighter control without the rest of the userbase freaking out. More info & download here: https://t.co/wmbNeVSEZX
— Steve Troughton-Smith (Archived) (@stroughtonsmith) November 18, 2017
Some, however, may be more excited by the prospect of an always-on Siri voice control that Macs currently lack. For now, users have to click the Siri icon in macOS or summon the sassy assistant with a keyboard shortcut, but it seems that the iMac Pro will finally support the “Hey Siri” voice command to instantly launch the assistant.
If the A10 Fusion co-processor will be always-on, it means that the iMac Pro will be able to take “Hey Siri” voice commands even when it’s dormant. The co-processor make things notably easier and more convenient, while also easing the load on the power-hungry main processor.
It remains to be seen just what exactly the A10 Fusion chip will do, but the prospect seems exciting. Another iOS developer, Guilherme Rambo, leaked a screen from BridgeOS to bolster claims that “Hey Siri” support is indeed in the cards for the iMac Pro.
Confirmed: "Hey, Siri" is coming to the Mac pic.twitter.com/Dw9bRAzbxD
— Guilherme Rambo (@_inside) November 18, 2017
As Troughton-Smith highlights, this experiment could allow Apple to play with the A10 co-processor and see how to best take advantage of it without causing uproar among the bulk of Apple fans. If all goes well with the implementation on the iMac Pro, the company could later improve on the experience and deploy it to more mainstream Macs such as MacBooks.
[Featured Image by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images]
