Mock-Up of Siri for iPad by 9to5Mac

There has been a lot of speculation lately as to what Apple will announce at this year’s Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC). The tech giant has scheduled a keynote address for June 11 at 10:00 a.m. PST and any one of the many rumors that we’ve been discussing may be on the agenda.

Today, 9to5Mac is reporting that Apple may have plans to include the virtual assistant program, “Siri,” for the iPad in iOS 6, which is rumored to be demoed at the WWDC.

The third-generation iPad received a small portion of Siri’s capabilities with voice dictation. It allows users to talk out their emails, tell their Web browser what to search for, and send iMessages without having to use the keypad. The rumor, however, is that iOS 6 will bring the rest of Siri to iPad users for a full-featured virtual assistant.

According to 9to5Mac, trusted sources have said that Siri will be one of the “tentpole features” in the upcoming iOS 6 release. It will come complete with music playback, iMessaging, calendar managing, reminders, weather, maps integration, emailing, notes, contacts searching, Safari integration, Worlfram-Alpha searching and more. The only thing missing from Siri for the iPad will be the phone-related commands.

The sources also described what Siri will look like on the iPad.

“Siri on the iPad is activated by a quick hold of the home button, just like on the iPhone 4S. The interface slides up from below the display with a clever animation. Siri is built into the iPad as a small window on top of whatever interface the user is currently interacting with. This Siri window with rounded corners sits at the bottom center of the display…”

The description goes on to say that Siri’s iPad interface is designed with the same linen texture as the iPhone 4S and will work from the lock screen.

Word is that Siri has been tested on both the iPad 2 and the new iPad. However, there is speculation that it will be exclusive to the third-generation iPad. Apple only released Siri on the iPhone 4S model because the company believed it would allow the Siri servers and functionality to grow at a scalable pace. Releasing Siri exclusively on the new iPad would serve the same purpose.

Although Apple will likely be introducing iOS 6 at the WWDC next week, there is no confirmation that they will be ready to show Siri on the iPad. It is just as possible that Apple will save the biggest fireworks for a later announcement that will be closer to the iOS launch date.

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