According to a new All Things Digital report, citing unidentified `inside' sources aware of the proceedings at Apple, former high-profile Amazon executive William Stasior has been hired by Apple as the new boss of the company's Siri personal assistant unit.

Going by the Monday report by Kara Swisher, Stasior - the founder and president of Amazon's A9 search subsidiary - will take charge of Siri voice assistant which Apple acquired in 2010, and has now become one of the most attractive features of the company's popular iOS devices --- the iPhone, the iPad, and the iPod Touch.

Given the fact that Stasior is an ex-Amazon executive and a "prominent search technologist," his reported hiring by Apple clearly underscores the company's intentions of broadening its presence in the search arena, to take on Google, the search-market leader and one of Apple's closest competitors.

Though the All Things Digital sources could not reveal Stasior's exact job title at Apple, it is quite evident that his presence as the Siri in-charge will give a notable boost to Apple's own in-house search technology team; more so as Stasior was the chief of Amazon's A9 search technology, and also an ex-executive at the AltaVista search engine.

Meanwhile, as per reports, Apple - along with hiring Stasior - is also bringing on to Siri a few other key executives who were part of the Siri team when the company acquired the voice-driven technology in 2010.