Siri - the intelligent assistant of iphone 4S

As Chennai saw milling crowds at Beach and Zoo, elsewhere Police had to control the Crowd in a hard way  !

Do you know of ‘Siri’ – the intelligent assistant ?  - that helps you get things done. All you have to do is ask.  In fact you can order your wants – ‘Do I need an Umbrella’ – ‘where is the nearest ATM’ – you have seen some Advts where the man with smart phone makes a smart search to impress the road-side girl. 

Siri is neither a personal assistant nor a smart phone but a smart application inside the phone – iphone to be exact.   Apple claims that  Siri on iPhone 4S lets you use your voice to send messages, schedule meetings, place phone calls, and more.   It is stated that one can ask Siri to do things just by talking the way you talk. Siri understands what you say, knows what you mean, and even talks back. Siri is so easy to use and does so much, you’ll keep finding more and more ways to use it.  Ask Siri to text your dad, remind you to call the dentist, or find directions, and it figures out which apps to use and who you’re talking about. It finds answers for you from the web through sources like Yelp and WolframAlpha. Using Location Services, it looks up where you live, where you work, and where you are. Then it gives you information and the best options based on your current location. From the details in your contacts, it knows your friends, family, boss, and coworkers. So you can tell Siri things like “Text  Gupta I’m on my way” or “Remind me to make a dentist appointment when I get to work” or “Call a taxi” and it knows exactly what you mean and what to do

Sounds music, to have an assistant who will not apply for leave and who will not ask for extra wages for working overtime or for turning up on a holiday.  Siri  is an intelligent software assistant and knowledge navigator functioning as a personal assistant application for iOS. The application uses a natural language user interface to answer questions, make recommendations, and perform actions by delegating requests to a set of web services. Apple claims that the software adapts to the user's individual preferences over time and personalizes results, as well as accomplishing tasks such as finding recommendations for nearby restaurants, or getting directions

That is available on ‘ iPhone 4 ’ -  a touchscreen slate smartphone developed by Apple Inc. It is the fourth generation iPhone, and successor to the iPhone 3GS. It is particularly marketed for video calling (marketed by Apple as FaceTime), consumption of media such as books and periodicals, movies, music, and games, and for general web and e-mail access. It was announced on June 7, 2010, at the WWDC 2010 held at theMoscone Center, San Francisco,  and was released on June 24, 2010, in the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Japan.  The iPhone 4 runs Apple's iOS operating system, the same operating system as used on prior iPhones, the iPad, and the iPod Touch. It is mainly controlled by a user's fingertips on the multi-touch display, which is sensitive to fingertip contact. 

The much-anticipated release of the iPhone 4S in China stumbled out of the gate in Beijing, after unruly crowds kept the store closed on release day. Apple’s main store in the Sanlitun district of Beijing, the first of its kind to open in the country, was pelted with eggs and minor scuffles as they were not able to open the shop due to surging crowds.  Apple said in a statement that it had temporarily suspended sales of all iPhones at its five locations in China due to concerns for the safety of customers and employees.  Reports stated  that the crowd became unruly, and  began pelting the store with eggs.

The iphone4 is reported to cost around Rs.45000/- - the crowds that came on day 1 may not be the genuine users but many trying to buy for a resale at a higher rate.  Some reportedly were hired for standing in the Queue and buying one for somebody else.  Apple did not say when sales of the iPhone 4S in China would return, but their products reportedly were still available online.

This is not the first time that Chinese shoppers have exhibited frenzy over newly released Apple products.  While the massive crowds shown mobbing the Apple store in Beijing may shock some, there's actually a very simple explanation.  There are reports that the massive crowds were not even a sales hype but included large no. of professional scalpers  looking to buy up the coveted device for resale on the grey market at inflated prices.  Just as Cinema theatres resort to limited sale to curb blackmarket sales, the Shop were to allow shoppers to purchase only 2 iphones per customer.  The other effect of this is that the no. of persons waiting to buy grows and thus causes swell. 

Scalper is a  person trading in the equities or options and futures market who holds a position for a very short period of time in an attempt to profit from the bid-ask spread.  They are persons  who buys large quantities of in-demand items, such as new electronics or event tickets, at regular price, hoping that the items will sell out. The scalper will then resell the items at a higher price. Such transactions often occur on the black market. This type of scalping is illegal under certain conditions.

With regards – S. Sampathkumar.

PS:  made on 1st Feb 2012.... remained in my draft and posted now.. !!