If a new report is to be believed, Apple is working on turning Siri into a full-blown Google Now competitor.
The news comes from 9to5Mac's Mark Gurman, a journalist with a solid track record of breaking Apple news.
The company is working on a new iOS initiative codenamed "Proactive," according to Gurman. Proactive will reportedly combine Siri, Contacts, Passbook, Calendar and third-party apps to provide users with timely, predictive data based on what they're doing in their daily lives.
Apple already pulls from these data sources to aggregate search data for Spotlight, so using the same sources for more contextual information makes sense. The company already provides some of that guidance on its Today screen in iOS 8, showing users how long it would take to get to an appointment or to work.
Gurman traces Proactive's timeline back to Apple's 2013 acquisition of Cue, which is apparently what helped the company integrate Wikipedia search results into Spotlight in iOS 8 and OS X Yosemite.
Context is key
One of the best parts of Google Now is that it can work remarkably well at showing users what they need to do next, in the context of what's in their email, on their calendar or based on search history.
The downside of Google Now, aside from the fact that it doesn't work well with Google Apps accounts, is that it can sometimes border on feeling a little creepy. Users like it when a product delights them by anticipating their next move. But if you do that too fast -- or do too much of it -- people can freak out. The key is to ease users into the experience.
Apple has a strong history of taking an existing idea, and refining or perfecting its roll-out, especially when it comes to areas that touch on user privacy.
9to5Mac said Proactive will be able to support third-party apps, but that Apple will keep the Siri API limited as a way of to address privacy concerns.