MyBudget2012 Review

MyBajet 2012 is your leading source of Bajet 2012 news, information, advice, ideas and tips. It is your one-stop resource of practical knowledge on how Bajet 2012 can help improve your life and transform our community.

Here, you can also follow the inspirational journey of four friends – Siew Leng, Ashikin, Devi and Nasir – and how MyBajet 2012 supports them to chase their passions, launch their own business, and make their dreams come true.

100 Touchpoints Belanjawan 2012

“NATIONAL TRANSFORMATIONAL POLICY: WELFARE FOR THE RAKYAT, WELL-BEING OF THE NATION”

MINISTRY OF FINANCE

ACCELERATE INVESTMENT

1. To allow 100 percent foreign ownership of 17 service subsectors including healthcare and logistics.
2. To implement RM98.4 billion rolling plan until 2013 for high impact development projects
3. Valuation management for new projects worth RM50 million or more
4. PPP Facilitation Funds – RM2.5 Billion
5. Accelerate the development of Five Regional Corridors (RM978 million)
6. To implement RM6 billion private sector financed special stimulus package for infrastructure works.

 

GENERATING HUMAN CAPITAL DEVELOPMENT (SME)

7. Sharia-compliant SME Financing fund totalling RM2 billion – The government will bear 2% of the profit rates
8. Sharia-compliant SME Commercialisation Innovation Fund totalling RM500 million – The government will bear 2% of the profit rates
9. SME Revitalisation Fund totalling RM100 million to competent entrepreneurs to ignite business
10. SME Emergency Fund totalling RM10 million to fund SMEs affected by natural disasters

 

CREATIVITY & INNOVATION

11. Innovation Development & Application Program in schools and IPTA
12. Innovation Program to encourage development of new ideas
13. Introducing 1Malaysia Award (C1PTA) for innovative student inventions
14. Reality programs and documentaries in the media
15. Allocation of Market Validation Funds (RM30 million)
16. Commercialisation of 300 intellectual properties in the form of new products and technologies — RM30 billion.
17. Organising the World Innovation Forum and Asia Business Angel Forum

 

PENDIDIKAN

18. Special Funds for the Construction, Improvement and Maintenance of Schools – RM1 billion
19. Abolition of RM24.50 and RM33.50 for co-curriculum, internal test papers, Malaysian Schools Sports Council fees and insurance premium involving students in primary and secondary schools respectively, beginning the 2012 school year. making these free for the first time in Malaysia’s history.
20. RM100 school aid for all primary and secondary students from Primary 1 to Form 5 nationwide.
21. Distribution of RM200 book vouchers to all Malaysian students enrolled at higher education institutes, matriculation and Form 6 studies nationwide.
22. Tax exemptions for contributions to educational institutions (individual & companies)

 

RURAL TRANSFORMATION PROGRAM

23. To execute the Rural Transformation Program (RTP) – RM1 Billion
24. To establish Rural Transformation Centres (RTC) as service integration centres – across Kedah, Johor, Sabah & Sarawak
25. Professional Services Fund for the professional sector totalling RM100 million as easy financing with an interest rate of 4%.
26. Rural Surge Project in 11 areas of Agropolitan Projects nationwide (RM110 million)
27. RM 5 billion to develop rural infrastructure, including RM1.8 billion to the Rural Road Programmed & Village-Link Road Project (water supply, electricity, housing and roads)
28. Rural Basic Infrastructure Project (PIA-PIAS), RM500 million
29. RM500 million to expand the programme to supply clean water to the rural community in Sabah & Sarawak, and RM400 million to upgrade the water supply infrastructure in selected Felda areas
30. To provide greater access to bank services for the rural population, with Bank Simpanan Nasional to appoint 500 agents in rural areas
31. Rural Bus Services
32. RM90 million for the Orang Asli for basic necessities, including the expansion of the clean water supply projects. For the Orang Asli affected by the landslides at Sungai Ruil, RM20 million is provided for their relocation to new homes.

 

STRENGTHENING THE CIVIL SERVICE

33. To establish Exit Policy 24. To improve the salary structure of civil servants:

• pay raise between 7-13%
• civil servants get a pay rise between RM80 to RM320 according to grade

35. Improve the service scheme base on the time-base system

• Grade 48 teachers – SSM (20th year); SBPA (16th year)

36. Extend the compulsory retirement age from 58 to 60 years old to optimise civil servant’s contribution
37. Civil servants will be given an additional half-month bonus and pensioners RM500
38. Civil servants will be offered tuition fee assistance for part-time studies, including 5,000 masters and 500 doctoral scholarships
39. RM500 million to upgrade and maintain army camps and quarters nationwide under the Army Care program

 

GOVERNMENT PENSIONERS & EX-CONTRACT OFFICERS

40. Government Pensioners

• benefit from pension adjustment
• benefit from an additional annual pension increment of 2% without needing to be wait for a pension adjustment scheme or salary adjustment

41. Special payment of 3,000 to staff who have completed their contract with Jabatan Hal Ehwal Khas (JASA), and Jabatan Kemajuan Masyarakat (KEMAS)
42. A one-off payment of RM3,000 to each ex-member as well as widows and widowers of special constable and auxiliary police who served in protecting the country during the emergency era
43. Special training program for ex-army to help them move into business

 

EASING INFLATION AND ENHANCING THE WELL-BEING OF THE RAKYAT

44. RM500 financial aid for households earning RM3,000 or less
45. In the spirit of “People First,” all subsidies, incentives and assistance totalling RM33.2 billion will be continued
46. Continuation of electricity bill subsidization – RM20
47. Allocation of RM40 million to open 85 more Kedai Rakyat 1Malaysia (KR1M) that provides daily needs to consumers at prices up to 40% less
48. Opening 30 units of Agrobazaar Kedai Rakyat nationwide
49. Promotion of Menu Rakyat 1Malaysia
50. To multiply the plantation program. As many as 4,500 enterprising farmers is estimated to benefit.
51. 500,000 will benefit from KAR1SMA, which provides assistance to poor senior citizens and children and disabled people

 

RAKYAT HOUSING PROGRAMS

52. Ceiling for house prices under a government deposit guarantee scheme for first time house buyers (My First Home Scheme) to be raised to RM400,000 from RM200,000.
53. 1Malaysia Rakyat Housing Scheme (PR1MA) – will be extended beyond the Klang Valley, 1,880 unit
54. Sharia-compliant housing (built and sell) with financing for RM600,000 or less
55. Continuation of the Program Perumahan Rakyat (PPR) by building 15,000 units of affordable houses
56. Rumah Mesra Rakyat Program by SPNB, whereby the government will subsidise up to RM20,000 per house for 10,000 units
57. Establish the Special Housing Fund for Fishermen to build and refurbish houses

 

SENIOR CITIZEN APPRECIATION

58. Senior citizens aged 60 years & above will be exempted from outpatient registration fees in government hospitals & health clinics, including 1Malaysia clinics and government dental clinics
59. 50% discount for LRT and Monorel fares.

 

QUALITY HEALTHCARE

60. Hospitals will be upgraded and constructed as well 81 rural health clinics upgraded and 50 new 1Malaysia clinics launched
61. Hospital Putrajaya’s maternity ward will be upgraded, and Hospital Kuala Lumpur (HKL) will be upgraded to be the country’s premier hospital
62. Memperkenalkan Jadual kerja fleksi Pegawai Perubatan Siswazah

• Increasing on-call night shift allowance, from RM30 up to RM80

 

AMANAH RAKYAT 1MALAYSIA SCHEME

63. Introducing Skim Amanah Rakyat (SARA) 1Malaysia, which will benefit 100,000 households with income below RM3,000 per month. This investment promises attractive net gains.

 

BUMIPUTERA COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

64. Bumiputera Facilitation Funds, RM300 million
65. Mentoring of 1,100 Bumiputera companies with potential
66. Bumiputera entrepreneur and contractor development under the Ministry of Rural & Regional Development

EASING TAXI AND CAR RENTAL OWNERSHIP
67. 100% duty tax exemptions and sales tax for new purchases of locally manufactured taxis
68. Duty tax exemptions and road tax for taxis older than 7 years old or second hand taxis
69. To annul road tax on private taxis
70. Subsidisation handout with up to 2% interest rate for new ownership of locally manufactured taxis
71. Financial aid to replace obsolete taxis (RM3,000 for less than 7-10 years old / RM1,000 for older than 10 years)
72. Private budget taxi owners will get to enjoy assistance worth about RM7,560 through the various incentives

 

NATIONAL LEGAL AID FOUNDATION

73. The National Legal Aid Foundation will ensure that every individual who is charged in court will be given free legal aid

 

ANJUNG SINGGAH

74. To assist the homeless, the governements will establish a social assistance centre known as Anjung Singgah

 

VALUING & IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF WOMEN’S ROLE

75. A training allocation of RM10 million will be provided for women to develop leadership and managerial skills
76. Free HPV (Human Papilloma Virus) immunisation to prevent cervical cancer – RM50 million)
77. Amanah Ikhtiar Malaysia will provide RM2.1 billion to entrepreneurs in the form of micro loans
78. Construction and development of Kuala Lumpur Women & Children’s Hospital.

 

YOUTHS

79. MyCreative Venture Capital with an initial fund of RM200mil to be established in order to encourage youth’s involvement in the creative industry.
80. Strategic Action for Youth (SAY 1Malaysia).
81. RM15mil will be allocated to build 150 futsal courts to achieve the “One Court for One Mukim” target
82. 30 artificial turfs equipped with floodlights

 

HAJ PILGRIMAGE REGISTATION

83. EPF contributors can register early for the haj by ring-fencing RM1,300 from Account 2 of their savings for registration purposes.

 

TAX INCENTIVES

Bank Industry & Finance & Investment
84. To grant tax benefits to investors who use Malaysian Treasury Management Centre (TMC) to accelerate financial markets development. These include income tax exemption of 70% for five years, withholding tax exemption on interest payments on borrowing and stamp duty exemption on loan and service agreements.
85. Exemption from withholding tax on interest payments on borrowings to overseas banks and related companies
86. Stamp duty exemption on loan agreements and service agreements
87. To grant tax benefits to investors who use Malaysian Treasury Management Centre to accelerate financial markets development such as 100% income tax exemption for 10 years
88. Full exemption from stamp duty on all loan agreements and service agreements executed by TMC in Malaysia for qualifying TMC activitie
89. To cut tax for three years on expenses incurred in issuance of sukuk wakala starting 2012.
90. To extend tax exemption on issuance and trading on foreign currency sukuk by three years
91. Extending 10% withholding tax incentives for another 5 years for dividends distributed by the Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) listed on Bursa Malaysia
92. Tax deduction is given on franchise fees for local franchise brands.
93. To extend import and excise duty exemption on hybrid and electric cars until end-2013.
Hotel Industry
94. Investment tax allowance or pioneer status is given to hotel operators undertaking new investments in 4 and 5 stars hotels in Peninsular Malaysia, providers of industrial design services and private schools and international schools registered with the Ministry of Education.
95. Revision of RPGT rates to curb RPGT speculation in the property investment market
96. Design industry service providers will be given income tax exemption of 70% on statutory income for a period of 5 years
97. Income tax exemption of 70% for a period of 5 years, Double deduction for overseas promotional expenses; and Exemption of import duty and sales for educational equipment for profit oriented private and international schools.
98. Tax exemptions for contribution to registered educational institutions and all places of worship
99. Companies which participate in the structured internship programme (which includes technical, communication and business skills) implemented by the Ministry of Higher Education in collaboration with Talent Corporation Malaysia Berhad (TalentCorp), be given double deduction on expenses incurred by the companies.
100. Tax relief of RM1,000 on annuity premium (currently a component of the tax relief on EPF contributions and life insurance premium be rationalized.

Source: myBajet2012.com

Pendaftaran Pemilih dan Semakan Secara Online Suruhanjaya Pilihan Raya (SPR) Malaysia

Dulu nak daftar sebagai pemilih. Memang susah sikit la. Terpaksa korbankan sedikit masa untuk pergi mendaftar di Pusat Pendaftaran Suruhanjaya Pilihan Raya (SPR) berdekatan. Yang berada jauh tu. Terpaksa la kena naik bas, turun bas. Lepas tu tok tek tok tek .. habis satu hari untuk mendaftar je. Jadi benda ni dilihat agak melecehkan ! Mungkin sebab tu, orang² muda zaman sekarang liat sikit nak daftar sebagai pemilih walaupun ianya adalah satu tanggungjawab sebagai seorang warganegara Malaysia !

Ini disahkan dari rujukkan yang aku baca. Dianggarkan seramai 4.3 juta rakyat Malaysia yang layak mengundi, masih lagi belum mendaftar sebagai pemilih dan majoritinya terdiri dari rakyat berbangsa Melayu. Rujukkan 4.3 juta  .. banyak tu !

Jadi bagi menggalakkan lebih ramai golongan muda mendaftar sebagai pemilih. Berkuat kuasa mulai hari ini. Suruhanjaya Pilihan Raya (SPR) telah memperkenalkan satu kaedah mudah bagi warganegara Malaysia yang berkelayakkan untuk mendaftar sebagai pemilih melalui Pendaftaran Pemilih Secara Online.

Tapi sebelum tu fahami dulu apa yang dimaksudkan dengan pendaftaran pemilihan;

Pendaftaran Pemilih sebagaimana yang ditetapkan oleh undang², membolehkan warganegara Malaysia yang layak mendaftar sebagai pemilih. Di samping itu ia membolehkan Pemilih Berdaftar yang sudah bertukar alamat mendaftar di alamat baru. Pemilih juga digalakkan untuk menyemak nama mereka dalam Daftar Pemilih yang sudah disahkan.

Okies .. saya rasa anda semua fahamkan ! Bukan sekadar untuk pendaftaran buat pertama kali. Tapi sekiranya anda telah berpindah. Kena juga daftar semula supaya SPR dapat mengemaskini maklumat terkini anda. Kalau tak .. memang tak dapat la nak mengundi dalam pilihan raya yang akan datang.

Kenapa perlu mendaftar dan siapa yang layak menjadi pemilih ?

Untuk membolehkan anda mendapat hak untuk mengundi dalam pilihan raya sebagai seorang warganegara. Anda layak mendaftar sebagai pemilih apa memenuhi krateria² berikut;

- Warganegara Malaysia;
- Sudah mencapai umur 21 tahun;
- Menetap di mana-mana Bahagian Pilihan Raya di Malaysia; dan
- Tidak hilang kelayakan.

Taracara Pengisian dan Penghantaran Borang A

1 - Sila pilih jenis Borang A sama ada dari Parti Politik atau Wakil Jabatan atau Individu;
2 - Daftar mengikut alamat terkini di JPN;
3 - Pastikan Borang A diisi dengan betul;
4 - Hantar sendiri borang permohonan ke Suruhanjaya Pilihan Raya (SPR) atau melalui Penolong Pendaftar SPR;
5 - Sila kepilkan salinan MyKad semasa menghantar permohonan ;
6 - Simpan satu salinan borang berkenaan sebagai bukti pendaftaran anda;

Dapatkan Borang A Di SINI

Maklumat lanjut mengenai pendaftaran secara muat turun Borang A, boleh juga diperolehi dengan menghubungi Ibu Pejabat SPR Putrajaya di talian 03-88856500.

Bagi yang ingin menyemak Semakan Daftar Pemilih, anda boleh juga menyemak di sini - Semakan Daftar Pemilih

Semakan Pemilih secara SMS

SPR SEMAK No.IC 

Cth; SPR SEMAK 800101045243 DAN HANTAR KEPADA 15888

Sumber Rujukan: Pendaftaran Pemilih dan Semakan Secara Online Suruhanjaya Pilihan Raya (SPR) Malaysia 

Pekeliling Kenaikan Gaji Kakitangan Awam Sistem Saraan Malaysia

As salam, pekeliling kenaikan gaji baru Kakitangan Awam Malaysia dibawah Sistem Saraan Malaysia (SSM) yang ditunggu² selama ini sudah mula diedar sebentar tadi. Disini, segala persoalan mengenai tangga gaji, pengiraan kenaikan gaji lama ke gaji baru, kenaikan kadar bantuan sara hidup dan perkara² berkaitan, ada diyatakan di dalam pekeliling tersebut.

Sumber Rujukan: Pekeliling Kenaikan Gaji Kakitangan Awam Sistem Saraan Malaysia | Anastasyea Blog

Jadual Kenaikan Gaji Kakitangan Awam Dalam Sistem Saraan Baru Perkhidmatan Awam (SBPA)

Semenjak Sistem Saraan Baru Perkhidmatan Awam (SBPA) diperkenalkan dalam pembentangan belanjawan 2012 yang lalu. Ramai sungguh kakitangan awam yang tercari² Jumlah Kenaikan Gaji Sebenar yang bakal diterima bagi setiap gred Perkhidmatan Kakitangan Kerajaan. Antara yang terkena tempias sistem SBPA nie, tak lain tak bukan .. unit aku sendiri.

Mentang² la kita orang kerja di Bahagian Penjawatan. Asyik² dapat panggilan tanya pasal kenaikan gaji je. Aik .. banyak cantik. Korang ingat kitaorang jaga gaji ke ? Kalau tanya pasal kekosongan jawatan tu. Boleh la jawab sikit². Tapi kalau tanya pasal skim tangga gaji baru. Hehehe .. sorry la ye. Tak dapat den nak menolong..

Selain tu yang aku tak tahan nak gelak. Wujud satu fatwa kiraan sendiri yang dibuat berdasarkan fakta kenaikan gaji RM80 hingga RM320 mengikut gred yang dibentangankan dalam belanjawan 2012 seperti yang tertera di bawah. Dari mana diorang dapat pun aku tak tau. Alih² dah tersebar dekat Internet.

Tangga Gaji Baru Bajet 2012 yang diwar²kan oleh sesetengah pihak

GRED 1-16 = RM80

GRED 17-26 = RM120

GRED 27-40 = RM160

GRED 41-48 = RM220

GRED 52-54 = RM260

GRED JUSA A,B,C = RM320

Memang pelik betul ! Jabatan Perkhidmatan Awam (JPA) pun belum lagi keluarkan apa² pekeliling. Dah ada pulak yang memandai² nak keluarkan kenyataan sendiri. Hehehe .. mungkin diorang dah tak sabar² nak dapat tangga gaji baru kot. Jadi dari buang masa percayakan rumours ni. Baik tunggu dulu apa² pekeliling ataupun surat arahan Perkhidmatan yang akan sampai di Jabatan masing².

Selain tu, kalau korang baca teks ucapan Belanjawan 2012 tu semula. Korang akan perasaan ada beberapa elemen utama yang digariskan dalam Sistem Saraan Baru Perkhidmatan Awam SBPA. Antaranya;

Pertama: Mewujudkan Dasar Pemisah atau exit policy bagi penjawat awam yang berprestasi rendah dan mereka yang memilih untuk meninggalkan perkhidmatan;

Kedua: Menambah baik struktur gaji penjawat awam melalui pembentukan gaji sebaris dengan mewujudkan lebih banyak mata gaji supaya penjawat awam terus mendapat kenaikan tahunan bagi tempoh yang lebih lama. Dengan itu, gaji maksimum bagi sesuatu gred adalah lebih tinggi daripada sekarang.

Ketiga: Pada perutusan khas Hari Guru yang lalu, saya telah mengumumkan laluan kerjaya perkhidmatan perguruan siswazah yang lebih baik. Tidak perlu lagi seperti dulu, seorang guru terpaksa menunggu sehingga 20 tahun untuk naik pangkat, sebaliknya sekarang, dalam skim baru mengikut time-based, seorang guru akan mendapat gred 44 pada tahun ke-8 dan gred 48 pada tahun ke-16. Bagi guru bukan siswazah, dari gred 29 kepada 32, jika mengikut sistem time-based sekarang, ia memakan masa 10 tahun, namun, di bawah SBPA hanya mengambil tempoh lapan tahun sahaja. Seterusnya pula, bagi kenaikan gred 32 ke 34, jika sekarang ini bergantung pada kekosongan, tetapi di bawah SBPA kelak, kaedah time-based lapan tahun turut diterima pakai; dan

Keempat: Kenaikan Gaji Tahunan tidak pernah disemak sejak 1991. Mulai tahun 2012, Kenaikan Gaji Tahunan Penjawat Awam akan ditingkatkan antara 80 hingga 320 ringgit mengikut gred. Di samping itu, bagi penjawat awam yang menerima opsyen ke SBPA, akan mendapat faedah kenaikan gaji, di antara 7 hingga 13 peratus.

Kalau korang tengok balik item yang nombor 4 tu. Mungkin korang akan perasaan. Hanya kepada kakitangan awam yang menerima opsyen SBPA sahaja yang akan mendapat faedah Kenaikan Gaji ini. Jadi, saranan aku. Adalah lebih baik korang tak payah terburu² dulu nak semak tangga gaji baru. Belum tentu lagi semua penjawat awam akan mendapat 'durian runtuh'.

Lagipun dari cakap² yang aku dengar. Ada banyak pro dan cons dalam opsyen SBPA ini. Jadi daripada korang sibuk² bertanyakan Kadar Jadual Gaji Sebaris SBPA ini. Adalah lebih baik korang semak dulu opsyen SBPA ni bila dah keluar nanti. Itu lebih baik !

Sumber Rujukan: Jadual Kenaikan Gaji Kakitangan Awam Dalam Sistem Saraan Baru Perkhidmatan Awam (SBPA) | Anastasyea Blog

Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar Shah bin Syed Nor Al-Bukhary

Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar Shah bin Syed Nor Al-Bukhary^[2] is the richest Bumiputra corporate figure in Malaysia. With involvement in diversified business areas which include transportation and logistics, plantations, property development, defense and armory as well as engineering and power generation, he has a net worth estimated to be US$1.7 billion according to Forbes,^[1] making him the 8th richest Malaysian.

 

Early life

Syed Mokhtar al-Bukhary was born into a mid-low class Malay family; whose house was without necessities and luxuries. His highest education was only until form five, and he never went to university. A whole lot of his knowledge and experience was gained through his own entrepreneurship experience during his youth time.

Due in part his family's mediocre-to-poor background, Syed Mokhtar al Bukhary had to step into the working world in his early life, while pursuing his primary and secondary studies. Syed Mokhtar helped his mother planting and selling vegetables in the market and also selling roti canai. His numeric knowledge was used to help his father in doing daily book keeping.

After finishing school, Syed Mokhtar helped his father in breeding cow business but only to see the business washed away by foot and mouth disease. Nevertheless, he took over the business and start over by selling meats. He then move on to packaging the meats and start selling them wholesale. His determination paid off and the business started to take off.

 

Career

Syed Mokhtar and Zainal started his business in Kedah in the 1990s dealing in rice. More success followed and he moved to rice trading business. He worked even harder after he was awarded the rice trading license from Lembaga Padi Negara, and was later awarded successions of supplier contract government-linked corporations as partner with Zainal Hatim Hj Ambia Bukhary.

As his determination starting to skyrocket, he quickly moved to expand into diversification of other businesses. His next big move was in the logistics business, with initial goal to transport their trading materials. Today, his business empire has grown into areas such as plantation, property development, construction, engineering, power generation, infrastructure and ports.

He owns 51.8% share in Malaysian Mining Corporation via his wholly owned company, Syarikat Impian Teladan Sdn. Bhd. Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar and Zainal Hatim personally owns SKS Ventures, which was awarded the task of building the site for 2100MW coal-fired power station at Tanjung Bin, Johor. Tan Sri Syed Mohktar has a 32% share in PERNAS through his own company, Syarikat Ratu Jernih. Syarikat Perdana Padu Sdn. Bhd. and Corak Kukuh Sdn. Bhd. Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar and Zainal are Board Members of Syarikat Bina Puri Holdings Berhad, whereby, on his own, he has 7.34% share. Apart from these, Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar and Zainal has varied interest in a number of companies, both in Malaysia as well as abroad.

 

Charity

His philanthropic values were nurtured from the age of 23 when he started a small business dealing in rice. When he received his first monthly income of RM1,500, his mother had told him to donate half of it to the poor.^[3]

From 1996 to 2006, his foundation has contributed almost RM1bil to charity, although his total income is probably in multiples of that figure.^{[citation needed]}

He has humanitarian projects in Asia and Africa, including rebuilding the lives of Afghan refugees, Pakistan's ear's tsunami victims and is now working to establish an AIDS hospital in Uganda.^{[citation needed]}

Among the foundation's initiatives are the Albukhary Tuition Programme for poor underachievers and the Albukhary Scholarship Programme for poor high achievers.The scholarship awarding in AL Bukhary foundation started in 2003 with 41 students from 19 countries who had been awarded the scholar ship from AL Bukhary Foundation. In the following years the number of students have reached almost 350 students.^{[citation needed]}

The foundation has built a university and entire city around it, including hospital, mosque, library, food plantations, accommodation and provides tuition at no fee to underprivilledged students. :

File:http://www.aiu.edu.my/images/chairMsg.jpg

 

Recognition

In appreciation of his enormous services and contributions, he was bestowed with several awards, which among others, include the Panglima Setia Mahkota (P.S.M.) by His Majesty Seri Paduka Baginda Yang di-Pertuan Agong, which carries the title Tan Sri and the Dato' Setia Mahkota Kedah (D.S.D.K.) by HRH The Sultan Kedah, which carries the title Dato'.

On 10 January 2008 or 1st Muharram 1429 Hijra he was announced and awarded as "Tokoh Ma'al Hijrah" by The Yang Di Pertuan Agong of Malaysia in recognition of his contribution to nation building and also

 

Controversies

A number of companies controlled by Syed Mokhtar have come under attack for development activities on greenfield sites. For example, the clearance of mangroves for the development of Johor Port has led to some criticisms from local environmental groups.^[4] He has also been identified as a major beneficiary of political connections that have given his subsidiary companies monopoly control over crucial Malaysian sectors, including rice, power and ports.

KUALA LUMPUR: Tradewinds Plantation Bhd’s (TPB) AGM today could be an interesting affair as the Minority Shareholder Watchdog Group (MSWG) has sent to the company a set of questions ranging from crude oil pricing to a donation of RM10 million made to the Albukhary International University, sources said.

Of particular interest to minority shareholders will be the RM10 million donation, which is deemed as excessive, representing about 20% of the company’s net profit. MSWG’s list of questions also include seeking clarity on its plans to build palm oil mills.

TPB’s 69.76% parent Tradewinds (M) Bhd is also understood to have received a letter from MSWG over its own contribution of RM10 million as well, to the same university. Tradewinds’ AGM is slated for June 22.

The RM10 million contribution by Tradewinds works out to about 12% of its net profit for FY09. Issues have cropped up as Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar Albukhary controls almost 43% of Tradewinds and has an interest in the university as well.

The RM350 million Albukhary International University in Alor Setar, Kedah comes under the control of the Yayasan Albukhary, which in turn is controlled by Syed Mokhtar.

This will not be the first fiery AGM in the businessman’s stable of companies.

The Edge Financial Daily learnt that Syed Mokhtar’s flagship MMC Corporation Bhd’s AGM at end-April was also a fiery one, with shareholders questioning a RM75 million contribution to the university.

For FY09, MMC posted a net profit of RM236.71 million on RM8.44 billion in revenue, which means the contribution to the Albukhary International University amounted to over 30% of the net profit. Syed Mokhtar, via his vehicle Seaport Terminal (Johore) Sdn Bhd, controls about 42.47% of MMC.

Even more interesting was a contribution by water player Aliran Ihsan Resources Bhd, which gave away some RM20 million to the university. Aliran Ihsan’s net profit for FY09 amounted to RM30.23 million, meaning that the company forked out almost two-thirds of its net profits to the university.

Syed Mokhtar’s MMC has more than 70% equity interest in Aliran Ihsan.

Another company the tycoon controls, Padiberas Nasional Bhd (Bernas), has forked out RM20 million to the . Bernas is 72.57% owned by Tradewinds.

In total companies linked to the tycoon is understood to have donated anywhere between RM135 million and RM150 million to the university. Another Syed Mokhtar-controlled company, DRB Hicom Bhd, has not done so.

According to MSWG’s letter to TPB, such donations are normally in the 2% or 3% range of net profits and that “the (TPB) board should provide more clarification on the substantial contribution”.

“Giving out to charity or such causes is fine; just ensure the company pays out dividends and then pay it from your own pocket,” an industry observer said.

(From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

Top 20 richest man Malaysia 2012

Looking for Top 20 richest man Malaysia 2012? Robert Kuok aka the “sugar king” still stand firm in the no.1 position since 2011. However his asset dropped for about 4% compare to the past year.

The second is T Ananda Krishnan who is the man behind Airasia, Tunehotel & etc million dollar big business..

While the richest Malay goes to Tan Sri Syed Mokthar Albukhary. He remains the richest individual Malay with total assets of RM6.01 billion (2010 ) to RM.84 billion (2011) and increased to RM9.53 billion in year 2012.

 Top 20 richest man Malaysia 2012

No.	Name	Asset (RM Billion)	Company
1.	Robert Kuok Hock Nien	45.700	Kerry Group/Kuok Group
2.	T Ananda Krishnan	42.998	Usaha Tegas
3.	Tan Sri Teh Hong Piow	12.642	Public Bank
4.	Tan Sri Lee Shin Cheng	11.356	IOI Group
5.	Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar Albukhary	9.530	Albukhary Foundation
6.	Tan Sri Quek Leng Chan	8.002	Hong Leong Malaysia
7.	Tan Sri Lim Kok Thay	7.585	Genting Group
8.	Puan Sri Lee Kim Hua	6.588	Genting Group
9.	Tan Sri Tiong Hiew King	6.411	Rimbunan Hijau
10.	Ong Beng Seng	4.919	Hotel Properties Ltd
11.	Tan Sri Azman Hashim	3.470	Arab-Malaysian Corp
12.	Tan Sri Vincent Tan Chee Yioun	2.541	Berjaya Group
13.	Datuk Mokhzani Mahathir	1.937	Kencana Petroleum
14.	Datuk Lee Yeow Chor	1.787	IOI Group
15.	Tan Sri Tony Fernandes	1.772	AirAsia
16.	Lee Yeow Seng	1.746	IOI Group
17.	Tan Sri Lau Cho Kun	1.721	Hap Seng Consolidated
18.	Tan Sri Yeoh Tiong Lay	1.711	YTL Group
19.	Tan Sri Lee Oi Hian	1.589	Batu Kawan
20.	Datuk Lee Hau Hian	1.586	Batu Kawan

The above chart is the full list of top 20 richest man in Malaysia 2012 (released on January 20, 2012)

Kawasaki ER6F 2012 review

Like its sister naked bike, Kawasaki ER-6f 2012 gets a new look and aesthetic technique that brings a breath of fresh air between the medium displacements Japanese unexpected. The new fairing incorporates the new frame and swingarm double pipes, both lightweight and compact, combining security and convenience of a full fairing and sports, to protect the aesthetics of the aerodynamic headlights.

Compared to the earlier version, the steps are many, from the comfort on board, with a new riding position and a seat better upholstered. The dynamic link to the maximum of ease and pleasure of driving, a figure that seems to confirmed by a compact but solid sector of the bicycle. As for the naked bike, the ER-6f 72CV delivers to 8.500 g / min for a maximum torque of 64 Nm at 7.000 g / min for a weight of around 210kg.
Kawasaki ER-6f 2012 Specifications
Engine Kawasaki ER-6f 2012

• Type: parallel twin, 8 valves, dohc, liquid cooled
• Capacity: 649cc
• Bore x stroke: 83 x 60mm
• Compression ratio: 11.3:1
• Fuelling: Keihin electronic fuel injection, 38mm throttle bodies

Transmission Kawasaki ER-6f 2012

• Gears: 6
• Clutch: wet multiplate
• Final drive: chain

Chassis Kawasaki ER-6f 2012

• Type: Steel tube, diamond-type
• Front suspension: 41mm inverted telescopic forks, not adjustable
• Rear suspension: Offset cantilever monoshock, adjustable preload. Steel swingarm
• Front tyre: 120/70 x 17
• Rear tyre: 160/60 x 17
• Front brake: 2 x 2-piston floating callipers, 300mm petal discs
• Rear brake: single-piston floating calliper, 220mm petal disc

Dimensions Kawasaki ER-6f 2012

• Weight: 440lb (204kg) kerb (+ 9lb/4kg, for ABS version)
• Wheelbase: 55.5in (1410mm)
• Rake: 25°
• Trail: 4.2in (106mm)
• Fuel tank: 3.4 gallons (4.1 US gallons, 15.5 litres)
• Seat height: 31.1in (790mm)

Performance Kawasaki ER-6f 2012

• Power: 71bhp (72PS, 53kW) @ 8,500rpm
• Torque: 48.7lb.ft (6.7kg.m, 66Nm) @ 7,000rpm
• Fuel economy: 53mpg (18.8km/l, 5.33l/100km, 44mpg US) est
• Top speed: 125mph (200kph) est

iPhone 4S review

By Rene Ritchie, Monday, Oct 17, 2011

Full review of Apple’s 2011 iPhone 4S: Faster, better camera, smarter antenna, and Siri

iPhone 4S is minor spec bump over last year’s iPhone 4. Except it’s not. It’s a full on assault of the senses, with eyes, ears, and feel far beyond any previous mobile device. Yes, the hardware bumps specs to be certain — faster chipset, better camera — but it’s what Apple’s iOS 5 software and iCloud services do with that hardware that makes iPhone 4S so compelling, including one feature in particular that makes it the biggest leap forward in mainstream computer interfaces since multitouch on the original iPhone — Siri.

It’s fast, the antenna is rock solid, the camera is amazingly good, and Siri just might be the next big leap forward computer interfaces.	It’s the same design as last year, including the glass backing, which may rankle potential buyers who’d hoped for a change.
Apple has produced an incredibly compelling upgrade from feature phones, and the iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS. iPhone 4 owners have little reason to upgrade unless speed, camera, or Siri are unusually important to them.

Previously on iMore

iPhone 4S is the 5th generation iPhone, and one of three models on the market for 2011. While an incredible amount has changed, there are still a lot of features that have carried over from years past. Here, then, are those reviews.

• White iPhone 4 review (May 2011)
• Verizon iPhone 4 Review (February 2011)
• AT&T/GSM iPhone 4 Review (June 2010)
• iPhone 3GS review (June 2010)

iPhone 4S hardware

From the outside, the iPhone 4S looks almost identical to the iPhone 4. It’s the same iconic shape, the same Braun- and Leica-inspired slab of glass and stainless steel. It may no longer be as fresh as it was when it debuted some 16 months ago, but it’s still among the best designed and certainly the best built hardware on the market. It’s also just as fragile, with chemically treated glass on both front and back, and an exposed antenna array all along the sides.

There are some small, subtle differences between iPhone 4S and iPhone 4. They’re both 0.37 inches (9.3 mm) thin at 4.5 inches (115.2 mm) high and 2.31 inches (58.6 mm) wide but iPhone 4S is just a tad heavier at 4.9 ounces (140 grams). That’s 0.1 ounces (3 grams) heavier than the iPhone 4 and iPhone 3GS.
Like the original AT&T/GSM iPhone 4, all iPhone 4S models have a microSIM tray. Like the later Verizon iPhone 4, the iPhone 4S has symmetrically aligned gaps in the external antenna array — two on both sides.

All the buttons and ports are where you’d expect them. 3.5mm headset, noise-canceling mic, sleep/wake button, microSIM card slot (even on CDMA models, see below), speaker, 30-pin dock connector, phone mic, volume up and down buttons, and the ring/silent switch. On the front, below the screen there’s still a home button. Above the screen is the ear speaker and the VGA camera. On the back is the LED flash and the new 8 megapixel still, 1080p video camera.
Sensors also remain the same, with aGPS, a digital compass, ambient light, proximity, accelerometer, and gyroscope.

Design evolution

While iPhone 4S is the 5th generation iPhone, it’s only the 3rd major casing design in the product’s history. Here it is compared to the original iPhone (2007) and the iPhone 3GS (2009).

8 megapixel, 1080p camera

Apple chose not to improve the front-facing iPhone camera. Even though Macs have gone to FaceTime HD in 1280×720 (720p), iPhone 4S remains disappointingly 640×480 (VGA).
The rear-facing camera is another story entirely. It’s been increased to 8 megapixels and is capable of recording 1920×1080 (1080p) video. Apple has also improved the backlight sensor, added an f/2.4, wide angle lens to capture as much light and picture as possible, and added an extra piece of glass into the assembly to increase sharpness. There’s also an infrared filter to improve colors, face detection for better exposure and focus on portraits, and image stabilization to keep your videos from shaking.

We asked our app editor and resident photographer, Leanna Lofte to put it to the test.

• Complete iPhone 4S 8 megapixel camera review
• Complete iPhone 4S 1080p video review
• iPhone 4S photography examples

Overall, the iPhone 4S did a phenomenal job with landscapes, especially considering the broad range of lights and darks. With HDR (high dynamic range) enabled, the results were excellent. The f/2.4 lens lacks manual controls but handles motion far better than last year’s iPhone 4.

Face detection works impressively well, even when the subject is moving around and the face partially obscured. The improved backlight sensor does far better in low-light situations, capturing shots that were impossible with iPhone 4.

Macro photography, however, proved to be more of a challenge. They look great if focus locks on, but often the iPhone 4S fails to lock focus. This might be an iOS 5 issue, and if so, hopefully Apple will fix it in a future update.
The 5x digital zoom and flash are serviceable if you really need them, but are really only useful when you have no other options.
For video, the iPhone 4S 1080p camera did a terrific job adjusting between shade and light, though under bright backlighting the video remained slightly underexposed. Image stabilization worked well for walking and panning but couldn’t compensate for more extreme motion like running.
Low-light was better than iPhone 4 but wasn’t great. There was visible grain, and image stabilization didn’t work as well in low light conditions, but iPhone 4S’ ability to compensate for color distortion was impressive and a huge improvement over iPhone 4. Again, macro video was incredibly sharp but iPhone 4S had trouble locking focus on very thin objects.

Apple has also focused on reducing the time it takes to get your photo or video. You can now double click the home button and tap a new Camera button right on the lock screen to go directly to the Camera app (bypassing Passcode Locks, so beware of pranks if you leave it unattended). You can now also take photos with the Volume Up button. The time it takes the shutter screen to “open” — previously a area of frustration — is also dramatically faster. And, according to Apple, a dedicated Image Signal Processing chip speeds up picture taking, with the first photo taking only 1.1 seconds and subsequent photos taking only 0.5 seconds.
Overall, for impromptu, casual photo and video taking, low end point-and-shoots have just been made redundant. Even for special occasions, vacations and other events, non-photographers and non-videographers can realistically rely on an iPhone 4S and be well served. Apple has done a terrific job here, giving iPhone 4S an incredible new eye.

Antenna and reception

If iPhone 4 had an achilles heel it was the external antenna band. At 5 bars, touching the right antenna junction could drop it down to 3. At 1 or 2 bars, it could literally became a network pause-play button. Yes, the mainstream media blew it completely out of proportion, and a case made it go away completely, but it was a flaw.
And Apple has addressed it by adding a second antenna and giving the iPhone 4S the ability to intelligently switch between the two to make sure reception is more reliable, more often. It also doubles the previous HSPA 7.2 speed to 14.4 Mbps.

• iPhone 4S intelligently switching antenna hands on

The new Qualcomm RTR8605 chipset is technically HSPA+, but doesn’t include the much faster HSPA+ 21 or 42 Mbps data speeds. So data is faster if not dramatically so. In most areas those top speeds remain theoretical anyway, but it’s a shame people who can get them, can’t get them with iPhone 4S.
For CMDA users on Verizon and Sprint, none of this matters anyway, because iPhone 4S is still stuck on the 3 Mbps EV-DO rev A network, with all the limitations that come with it. These will likely only be overcome in 2012 or beyond, when LTE 4G (Long Term Evolution) chipsets are thin and energy efficient enough to meet Apple’s requirements.
However, the new Qualcomm chipset does support dual-mode CDMA/GSM. That makes it a world-phone, and means if you travel outside the US you can roam on international GSM carriers. Verizon and Sprint may even unlock the GSM radio for you, if you’re a good enough customer and ask nicely enough. Then you can use a local microSIM when you travel and avoid paying data roaming altogether.
Even so, you can’t switch between Sprint and Verizon, or put in an AT&T SIM and have it just work. The carriers are still locking that down. (Time will tell if the Jailbreak community can set it free.)
Here are the supported bands:

• UMTS/HSPA at 850, 900, 1900, 2100 MHz
• GSM/EDGE at 850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz
• CDMA/EV-DO Rev. A at 800, 1900 MHz

The AWS 1700 MHz band used by T-Mobile the USA, and Wind, Videotron, and others carriers in Canada, is still missing. That means T-Mobile is now the last major carrier in the US without an iPhone to offer, and it means that if you do run an unlocked iPhone 4S on T-Mobile US, it can still only run on the old, slow EDGE 2G network.
Wi-Fi has stayed the same as last year, with 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi. The 802.11n also remains 2.4GHz only. The Bluetooth radio on the other hand has gotten a boost and now supports Bluetooth 4.0, which offers lower power consumption and lower latency.

Speaker and mics

Every year we hope the inventor of the iPod will put a decent mic and speaker system into the iPhone, and every year we get made fun of by BlackBerry, and more recently, Android Beats users.
While there haven’t been any audio announcements by Apple, or stage demos by Apple executives similar to the kind afforded the optics, iPhone 4S does show real signs of improvement. The speaker is louder and clearer, making it easier to do hands-free calls.
The noise canceling mic does an excellent job in keeping both phone conversations and Siri voice commands functioning even in busy, noisy rooms.
And the vibration motor, which has reportedly been redone in a linear rather than rotational arrangement, is less annoying when it goes off, yet every bit as noticeable.
Audiophiles might still be waiting for Phil Schiller to give them the attention photographers got this year, but for average users the sound is an improvement.

Apple A5 System-on-a-chip

The iPhone 4S gets the dual core Apple A5 system-on-a-chip (SoC) that was first introduced last spring alongside the iPad 2. Reportedly based on ARM’s Cortex A9 central processing unit with Imagination’s PowerVR SGX 543MP2 graphics processing unit, Apple will only say it provides 2x the computing power and 7x the graphics power of iPhone 4. This lets it power everything from AirPlay Mirroring to the Siri virtual assistant.
Doing bigger things isn’t the only point, however. Doing more smaller things faster makes a difference as well. Launching apps, rendering and scrolling through web pages, playing games — all these things are palpably faster. Near-instant, in fact. You’ll feel it right away, and if you ever go back to an older iPhone or smartphone, you’ll miss it immediately.
Interestingly, Apple’s stuck with the same 512MB of RAM for the A5. While competing phones are sporting 1GB these days, Apple seems to believe they don’t need more RAM for better performance, or perhaps don’t need the potential tradeoff in power consumption. Given the immediateness of its feel and its ability to keep a large amount of everything from web pages to apps in ready and available, it’s hard to argue. Still, developers will keep pushing the silicon and it would have been interesting to see what 1GB would have let iOS 5 games achieve.

Battery power

With the monstrous new Apple A5 SoC, and demanding new features like location-based Reminders and voice-crunching Siri, battery life should be a legitimate concern. Apple impressively claims very little change from the iPhone 4, though standby time seems to have taken a very large hit (down 33%).

• 3G talk time: 8 hours
• 2G talk time: 14 hours
• Web browsing: 6 hours
• Video watching: 10 hours
• Audio listening: 40 hours

In our tests it’s hard to get a handle on. Reminders, Siri, and the other new features are so useful you end up using them more often, which leads to faster battery drain. If you stop using them (or turn them off in the Settings app), the battery seems just below iPhone 4 standards, but you lose out on all that great functionality.
If you charge frequently you can enjoy the best of both worlds, a phone doing what you need with power enough to do it when you need it. If you can’t get to power, you’ll have to moderate your usage.
We’ll keep an eye on battery life going forward and update.

Accessory compatibility

While iPhone 4S is almost identical to iPhone 4, it’s that almost that can get you. Depending on how well a manufacturer followed Apple’s tolerance guidelines, most iPhone 4 cases should fit iPhone 4S, with Verizon iPhone 4 compatible cases likely providing the best fit. If in doubt, check into the specific case you want and ask about iPhone 4S compatibility. Here are some examples.

• TiPb iPhone 4S Accessory Store
• Amazon iPhone 4S Accessories

Sticker skins, cables, chargers, and headsets should all be compatible, and with better Bluetooth support, track information and other features should be better than ever before.
Likewise, the iPhone 4S gets not only the iPad 2′s AirPlay Mirroring feature to get content to Apple TV and onto the big screen, but is compatible with the HDMI out Digital AV Adapter as well.

iPhone 4S Software

iPhone 4S ships with iOS 5, Apple’s fifth generation mobile operating system and arguably the biggest update in the history of the platform. It includes features like unobtrusive Notifications, iMessage, Twitter integration, and a location aware Reminders app. Check out our massive write up on all the new features:

• Complete iOS 5 feature walkthrough

iCloud

iCloud isn’t unique to iPhone 4S but it’s launching at the same time and for the first time it makes online services and integral part of iOS. From eWorld to .Mac to MobileMe, Apple’s previous Internet history has been one of high price and relatively low adoption. iCloud aims to change all that by not only being free, but far more functional than ever before.
We included iCloud in our iOS walkthrough, linked above, but here are the highlights:

• PC Free. iPhone 4S is the first iOS device you can take straight from the box and activate and setup with out ever plugging it in to a Mac or Windows PC. Backups and restores can likewise be done on-device and without a PC, and iCloud will also handle software updates over the air as they become available.
• Documents in the Cloud. For any app that supports it, like Apple’s own iWork productivity suite of Numbers, Pages, and Keynote, any file created on one device — iOS or Mac OS X — will be effortlessly stored up on iCloud and pushed down to every other device.
• iTunes in the Cloud. Previously applicable only to App Store apps and games, in regions where Apple has secured the licensing, you can now also re-download previously purchased music, and in some areas, even TV shows to your iPhone 4S.
• Find my iPhone, Find my Friends. While Apple has been letting you track your iOS devices for a while, now you can also share location with your friends, either persistently or temporarily. Privacy controls are friend by friend, time restrictions down to the hour, and a kill switch is always on hand.
• Photo Stream keeps the last 30 days or 1,000 images available on all your iOS devices, and all your iCloud-enabled images backed up in iPhoto or Aperture on the Mac (but not both at the same time). Other than deleting the stream or logging out, however, there’s no way to delete potentially awkward or embarrassing images — or stop them from appearing as your Apple TV screen saver, for example. So shooter beware.
• Mail, contacts, calendars. Previously the largest part of MobileMe, Apple @me.com accounts can now be created on, or converted to, iCloud accounts. (Sadly, there’s still no way to combine multiple accounts, for example MobileMe, iTunes, FaceTime, etc.)
• iTunes Match. Apple’s music locker service, while announced, is not yet publicly available. When launched, it will scan your iTunes desktop library and, for $25 a year, make it available to you via iCloud — in 256 bit ACC if it’s part of iTunes massive collection.

All in all, iCloud seems to be a solid foundation for Apple. It’s limited and has some flaws, like most first generation offerings. Hopefully it will grow to provide easier multi-device sync for things like game scores, and hopefully webOS-style Synergy services where multiple data types can be independently pulled, stored in separate silos, but presented in both single and combined views for users.

AirPlay Mirroring

AirPlay mirroring lets the iPhone 4S share it’s screen — any screen on any app — with the Apple TV over Wi-Fi. Since the Apple TV is designed to be plugged into an HDTV, this means you get your iPhone 4S content on the big screen.
While on the surface AirPlay mirroring might not seem like a major feature, it takes the personal, intimate experience of everything from gaming to FaceTime and makes it social. A keynote presentation projected in the boardroom or a group of friends playing a board game around the TV are just some of the obvious uses. Companies like Firemint are continuing to push the envelope as well, with concepts like multiple-device-to-Apple-TV Party Play. That’s where iPhone 4S becomes a controller, and iOS starts to become a serious threat to traditional consoles in the casual space.

Siri

Siri is a natural language interface for iOS that combines powerful voice recognition (rumored to be powered by industry leader Nuance) and synthesized speech with an artificially intelligent query and response engine designed to become your “virtual assistant”. It replaces the previous Voice Control feature introduced with iOS 3 on the iPhone 3GS.
Siri is also the single biggest feature of the iPhone 4S. The speed is impressive, the camera a remarkable eye, but the voice and ear of Siri is what could define the next generation of computer interfaces. While that may sound hyperbolic, it’s no more so than when Apple mainstreamed command line interfaces with the Apple II, mice and windows with the Mac, or multitouch with the original iPhone. All were derided as “toys” by those who lacked vision or merely disliked the idea of democratizing technology.
If Siri were simply a voice control and dictation system, like Android has had for a while, or like apps such as Vlingo or Nuance itself have previously made available on a variety of platforms, including iOS, that would be one thing. But Apple has imbued it with an almost Pixar-like humanity, a personality that while unmistakably artificial is also undeniably charming and engaging. That’s probably why Apple, atypically, didn’t rename Siri after purchasing the company behind it. Asking Siri a question creates a connection that would be far more difficult to achieve with a nameless “assistant” app.
Siri understands context. It understands relationships. It understands a smiley face. It can joke, even if canned. It makes you feel, for the first time, like you can have a conversation with your computer. You can ask Siri to tell your mother you’re running late and it will address an iMessage. You can ask Siri to wake you up in 15 minutes and it will set an alarm. You can ask Siri to find you breakfast and it will search for local restaurants. You can ask Siri for the cast of the movie you’re watching and it will query Wolfram Alpha. You can ask Siri her favorite color, and she’ll tell you. She’ll even present widgets, unique to her interface, if you prefer to tap than to reply.

Siri is activated by pressing and holding down the Home button, or by bringing the iPhone 4S up and to your ear, like you would to make a phone call. You can activate the dictations feature alone by tapping the new microphone button on the system-wide keyboard.

Siri is, of course, by no means perfect. It’s still in beta with limited language and even more limited location support. Siri’s voice is female in the US and male in the UK and you can’t alter that (unless you alter the region and your accent). Siri relies on servers that sometimes seem to be struggling to keep up with demand. There could be a customer insight play behind it. And, like humans or Pixar characters, it’s fallible and frustrating at times. It makes mistakes, and it tries to “learn” going forward.
Also, Settings can’t be toggle by Siri yet; there’s no turn on/off Wi-Fi or Airplane mode. It can’t launch apps to update your Facebook status or get you back into a game. It can’t plug into the camera for Google Goggle’s type searches, or into Apple’s Faces technology to find a photo of your child. Siri is at her beginning, but it’s a beginning that we’ve only ever seen in Star Trek. And that’s exciting.

Apps and games

iPhone 4S is compatible with all the hundreds of thousands of iPhone apps contained in Apple’s iTunes App Store. It’s still not ideal — there remain no upgrades, no demos, and Apple as single curator sets itself up as both bottleneck and — though increasingly infrequently — rejector of all apps on the platform.
With the power of the Apple A5 GPU, however, games have never looked better, and with the functionality of iCloud, apps have never been more useful. So while the app and game count remains the same, the potential has never been better.

• Complete TiPb app and game coverage
• Top 5 app and game lists

iOS also remains the most web app-friendly platform in mobile, with an incredibly powerful HTML 5 rendering engine and fast Nitro JavaScript engine now available within Safari, embedded Web Views, and web apps saved to the Home Page.

Accessibility

Apple finished the iPhone 4 FaceTime video by showing a deaf person signing to a loved one. Apple finished the iPhone 4S Siri video by showing a blind person replying to a message through voice alone. They’ve also added custom vibration alerts, AssistiveTouch gestures, and other features. I’d be hard pressed to think of another company in consumer electronics doing as much to increase accessibility as Apple. They once again deserves a ton of praise for continuing to make this a priority.

Pricing and Availability

iPhone 4S is getting the widest, fastest distribution in Apple’s mobile history. Starting October 14 in the US, Canada, Japan, France, Australia, and Germany, it will spread to over 70 regions by the end of 2011.
As always, Apple kept the pricing the same as previous years, offering more phone for the same money. This year, however, they’ve added a 64GB model for $399 on contract. And, while last year’s iPhone 4 drops down to 8GB and $99 on contract, they’ve taken the unprecedented step of keeping the 2009 iPhone 3GS on the market, also at 8GB, but at $0 on contract. That’s an iPhone at every price point from nothing to four hundred. No umbrella indeed.
Apple has also added Sprint as a carrier in the US, making it the 2nd CDMA carrier after Verizon.

• Sprint iPhone 4S review

They’re also shipping the white model day and date.

Should you upgrade or cross-grade?

Overall, if you’re thinking about upgrading from a feature phone or an iPhone 3GS or earlier model iPhone, do it. You’ll be getting a spectacularly improved experience and feature set. If you’re thinking about upgrading from an iPhone 4, then you need to make sure the major new features — speed, camera, antenna, and/or Siri — are compelling enough to warrant the cost. For most mainstream consumers, they won’t be. For gadget lovers or geeks, you’ve likely already found a reason to justify it.
If you’re thinking of crossing over from webOS, you should also do it. Now that Sprint is available and HP is floundering, iPhone 4S is a great choice. For BlackBerry lovers and Android aficionados, if you’re not tired and ready for a change, wait and see what RIM’s new QNX/BBX superphones and Google’s Ice Cream Sandwich powered Galaxy Nexus-lead generation brings to the table.
Either way, here’s some help in deciding which, if any, iPhone is for you:

• Should you get an iPhone 4S?
• Spec Wars: iPhone 4S vs. Samsung Galaxy S II vs. BlackBerry Bold 9900 vs. HTC Titan vs. Pre3
• iPhone 4S, iPhone 4, or iPhone 3GS: Which should you get?
• AT&T vs. Verizon vs. Sprint: Which iPhone 4S should you choose?
• Verizon and Sprint iPhone 4S and the limitations of CDMA
• 16GB, 32GB, or 64GB: Which iPhone 4S capacity should you get?
• Black or white: Which iPhone 4S color should you choose?

If you do decide to go with an iPhone 4S, here’s some help getting started.

• iPhone 4S glossary
• How to setup your new iPhone 4S
• How to transfer your data over from your old iPhone to your new iPhone 4S
• How to transfer your data over from your old Android, BlackBerry, webOS or Windows Phone to your new iPhone
• iOS 5 for iPhone and iPad walkthrough
• Top 10 best tips and tricks for new iPhone owners
• Top 10 best apps for new iPhone owners
• iPhone Live! podcasts (with video!)

Conclusion

iPhone 4S may be evolutionary hardware, faster than iPhone 4, with a better camera and more resilient antenna, but iPhone 4 was a great phone and iPhone 4S is even greater. While the design remains one of the best in the industry, it also remains unchanged. If you like Apple’s aesthetic, then you’ll be very happy. If not — if you would have preferred a larger screen or physical keyboard or a greater amount of standard ports — than Apple has done nothing here to win you over, and likely won’t ever on most of those counts.
In terms of software, almost everything about iOS 5 feels broader and better, and not only more functional, but more personal and more tactile as well. Apple has added more granular levels of control to things like Location Services and Data Storage, so you can keep private what you want to keep private and delete what you want to delete. They’ve also added more direct touch manipulation to the UI in Calendar and Mail, so the interactions are viscerally intuitive. At the same time they’ve increased the social, sharing aspects of iOS with services like AirPlay and apps like Find My Friends. It’s a clever balance. So is the interface, which Apple has kept as easy for novice users as it was in iOS 1 in 2007, and yet added ever greater layers of complexity for power users, including Fast App Switcher in 2010 and Notifications in 2011. For my sister, an iPhone makes calls, plays music, and takes photos. For me it can increasingly do almost anything.
Again, I can’t help but come back to Steve Jobs, the man whose vision and singular will drove Apple to create the future of consumer electronics, device by device, app by app, culminating in the iPhone 4S announced just a day before his passing.

Like Jobs did, it stands at the juncture of technology and liberal arts, powerful and yet accessible, capable and yet beautiful, incremental new hardware brought to life by ambitious new software.
It’s certainly not the device for everybody, but increasingly the iPhone is the device for most people.