It appears South Africans eager to get their first taste of Siri, Apple’s much-vaunted, voice-driven personal assistant software, won’t have to wait much longer.

According to a well-placed source, Apple will announce the SA launch date for the iPhone 4S, which includes the Siri software, in the last week in November, possibly on the 24th.

SA is included in the next wave of the product’s global roll-out.

What’s less clear is which networks will offer the device, though it’s fair to assume it will be available from both MTN and Vodacom, which both had agreements with Apple to sell the 4S’s predecessor, the iPhone 4.

The iPhone 4S was launched first in seven countries — the US, Canada, Australia, the UK, France, Germany and Japan — on 14 October. This week, Apple said the device would go on sale in more markets, including New Zealand, Poland, Greece and Portugal, bringing the total to 29 countries.

Sources say the 4S will be launched in SA at the same time it goes on sale in India. This is in line with the launch of the iPad 2 tablet computer, which was launched in the two countries simultaneously.

Apple has said it wants the 4S, which sold 4m units in its first three days on sale — breaking previous sales records — to be available in more than 70 countries by the end of the year. — Staff reporter, TechCentral