Apple Buys Siri, A Personal Assistant App For iPhone

The maker of the iPhone and iPad, Apple Inc, has decided to acquire mobile-application developer Siri so as to get the technology that will allow Apple customers to do Web searches from their phones by talking to them.

The San Jose-based company makes a voice-recognition and search program and earlier this year the company had expressed its willingness to offer the program, which it describes as a virtual personal assistant, to Apple to use it in iPhone this year.

Shawn Carolan, a managing director at Siri investor Menlo Ventures said that the acquisition agreement has been signed but the deal has not closed yet and added, “The offer from Apple had to be very compelling for the executive team and the board to accept.”

Apple CEO Steve Jobs has increased Apple acquisitions in recent months in order to lay hands on more and more advanced technologies to add better features in the company’s gadgets. The Cupertino-based company is facing stiff competition from Research In Motion’s BlackBerry and devices using Google’s software in smartphones.

“Apple buys smaller technology companies from time to time, and we generally do not comment on our purpose or plans,” said Apple’s spokesman Steve Dowling.

Read more on http://www.timesnewsline.com/news/Apple-Buys-Siri–A-Personal-Assistant-App-For-iPhone-1272548644/