Apple has a big future planned for Siri, as outlined by a new Bloomberg report that mentions the assistant could be in store for a complete visual overhaul, gaining an animated personality that looks like the Mac’s iconic Finder icon.
Finder-inspired Siri design being considered for launch next year with AI upgrades
In a wide-ranging new report on Apple’s Home device plans, Mark Gurman mentions that two upcoming devices—the rumored 2026 ‘HomePad/HomePod Touch’ and a 2027 ‘tabletop robot’—could pack a visually overhauled Siri.
Mark Gurman writes at Bloomberg:
Apple is planning to put Siri at the center of the device operating system and give it a visual personality to make it feel lifelike. The approach, dubbed Bubbles, is vaguely reminiscent of Clippy, an animated paper clip from the 1990s that served as a virtual assistant in Microsoft Office. Apple has tested making Siri look like an animated version of the Finder logo, the iconic smiley face representing the Mac’s file management system. A final decision on its appearance hasn’t been made, with designers considering ideas that veer closer to Memoji, the playful characters that represent Apple user accounts.
Gurman says this new “visual personality” for Siri will be a key part of Apple’s forthcoming tabletop robot.
That product, he writes, “resembles an iPad mounted on a movable limb that can swivel and reposition itself to follow users in a room.”
Siri will act as a sort of virtual companion on the device.
The idea is for the device to act like a person in a room. It could interrupt a conversation between friends about dinner plans, say, and suggest nearby restaurants or relevant recipes. It’s also being designed to engage in back-and-forth discussions for things like planning a trip or getting tasks done — similar to OpenAI’s voice mode.
Though this new Siri look and personality sounds central to the 2027 Home product, it could arrive even sooner.
Gurman’s report notes that the fresh visual design for Siri might arrive as early as next year.
That’s because the rumored HomePad/HomePod Touch device “may also include the new Siri visual interface.” It won’t have the same level of conversational powers as the later device, though.
Siri rebranding: take two
Many have wondered if Apple might want to rebrand Siri when its long-awaited AI upgrades finally do arrive.
Whether the name Siri sticks or not, it sounds like a visual overhaul is very much in the cards.
Here’s hoping the assistant’s new capabilities can truly deliver, and justify Apple’s second recent attempt at a fresh design. iOS 18.1’s new Siri unfortunately did not.
What do you think of having Siri look like the Finder icon? Let us know in the comments.
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