Apple Gives Us the Siri We've Been Waiting For

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Apple (AAPL) updated its mobile operating system Monday, and one of the major features could be a big hint at the company's future plans.

As part of updating iOS 6, Apple has incorporated the ability to buy movie tickets through Fandango, using Siri. Apple has hinted that it may get into mobile payments with its Passbook feature, which was introduced at Apple's developers conference in June. iOS 6 is used in Apple's iPhones and iPads.

In addition to Siri being able to buy movie tickets, iOS 6.1 has more features. iTunes Match subscribers can now download songs from iCloud, there is added support for LTE for more carriers, and there's a new button to reset the Advertising Identifier.

Adding Siri to the mix of buying products and services could help Apple with its Web services, which have seemingly been lacking in the past.

"iOS 6 is the world's most advanced mobile operating system, and with nearly 300 million iPhone, iPad and iPod touch devices on iOS 6 in just five months, it may be the most popular new version of an OS in history," said Philip Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of worldwide marketing, in a press release.

Right now, the option to buy movie tickets is only available in the U.S., but I'd be willing to bet this will get rolled out to other countries, particularly as it becomes an effective tool. This is an important step in taking Siri where it is now (a fun tool that helps searching) to what it will ultimately become (a personal assistant used to help you do everything).

I'd bet the boys and girls at Apple have plenty more worked up for Siri. The fun is just beginning. Just make sure to get your popcorn with butter for the show.

--Written by Chris Ciaccia in New York

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