Apple CEO Tim Cook Hints at iOS Facebook Integration, Siri Expansion

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Apple may be planning to deeply integrate Facebook into future updates to its iOS software for mobile devices, along with expanding just what the Siri voice assistant software can do.

Speaking recently at the AllThingsD tech conference, Apple CEO Tim Cook opened up the show. During an interview with Kara Swisher and Walt Mossberg, Cook was grilled on everything from the Apple TV to Siri.

When he was questioned about Apple’s relationship with the social network Facebook, Cook dropped hints that we could see it integrated into iOS in the not-so-distant future:

“For us, we want to provide customers simple and elegant ways to do the things they want to do. Facebook has hundreds of millions of customers. So, anyone that has an iPhone or iPad, we want them to have the best experience with Facebook on those platforms. So stay tuned.”

The Cupertino Company has famously been in discussion with Facebook previously, with negotiations proving to be tough. It wasn’t the same case for another social network, Twitter, which was tightly integrated with iOS in version 5. Users are able to ‘tweet’ from the sharing menu in many of Apple’s core apps, including Photos. Likewise, a deal with Facebook could offer the same functionality, with quick photo uploads and contacts synchronisation.

Later in the talk the focus turned to Siri, Apple’s voice-activated personal assistant software that has received mixed reviews the world over. At present Siri is classed as ‘beta’ software, in that it isn’t finished, it’s still being tested and will be added to and improved upon several times in the future. Apple is already working hard on adding new features to Siri, its CEO explained:

“But, there’s more that it can do. We have a lot of people working on this. You’ll be really pleased with the things you’ll see over the coming months. The breadth that you’re talking about — we’ve got some cool ideas about what Siri can do. We have a lot going on on this.

With Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) coming up in two weeks, we could see Siri receive its first major update along with iOS 6. What would you like Siri to be able to do for you?

Let us know your thoughts on our comments below or via our @Gadget_Helpline Twitter page or Official Facebook group.

Via: MacRumors
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