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Hundreds Line Up For New iPhone Release

TROY (WWJ) - It was a sleepless night for hundreds of people who couldn't wait to get their hands on Apple's new iPhone 4S. WWJ City Beat Reporter Vickie Thomas was chatting up fans who flocked to the Apple Store at the Somerset Collection in Troy.

Among those in line was Sean Persinger from Rochester Hills.

"I am trying to meet my friend. We are making a day out of it. We got up at 5 a.m. this morning," Persinger said.

"I just can't believe it," Thomas replied. "What is it about this phone that makes people get up so early and fly down to the store to wait in line for hours?"

"You know, I'm not really sure what it is about the phone because I have a Blackberry, but I'm about to find out," Persinger responded.

And if you thought waking up at 5 a.m. to stand in line for a phone was too early, some fans are even more die-hard than that. Kareem Grey of Royal Oak grabbed the fourth spot in line when he arrived at the mall at 10:30 Thursday night.

"The main thing that I'm interested about in the iPhone 4S is being able to actually talk to my phone as if it's an artificial intelligence."

Grey is talking about a new iPhone feature called "Siri," which allows the user to say things like "Do I need an umbrella?" or "Any great burgers around here?" or "Where's the closest ATM?" The phone then figures out the right apps to use to find the right answer and just like a personal assistant, it answers you. Siri makes phone calls, sends messages, schedules meetings, sets reminders and more.

Other new features include a faster processor, improved camera, HD video recorder and iCloud storage.

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