Just days after opening the App Store to 32 additional countries, Apple released a press release this morning to announce that the iTunes Store is also extending its reach to another nine countries in Asia today, including Hong Kong, Singapore, and Taiwan.
Proview’s legal battle against Apple over the use of the “iPad” trademark continues to drag on, but things haven’t quite gone to plan for the Chinese company. A Hong Kong court has sided with Apple and agreed that some of Proview’s evidence should be excluded from the case after it failed to comply with the court’s instructions.
Remember your first trip to the Apple Store? The glass and metal. Clean floors and every Apple gadget waiting for you to play with it. Maybe the novelty of visiting the Apple Store has worn off for you, maybe it hasn’t, but there’s no denying Apple has created the coolest retail experience in the world. Apple Stores are a like a Disneyland for fanboys. With their unique architecture and building materials, each Apple Store provides a truly magical experience to customers. Here are 20 captivating images that showcase just how magical the Apple Store can really be.
Meet the world’s newest super-yacht, Adastra. It’s like looking at the embodiment of sex on water. She’s like the hottest chick from your high school that knows she’s fine and there ain’t nothing you can do to attain her as she floats by laughing at your pitiful life that will never glimpse her interior.
Not only is Adastra fine as hell, but she’s smart too, and ultra high-tech. She’s so high-tech that the entire yacht can be controlled remotely by an iPad, while the crew is frolicking on the shores of some fantasy island. After drooling over Adastra’s gorgeous metal and glass hull I can’t help but think this yacht would have been perfect for Steve Jobs.
Apple’s new iPad has been available to purchase in the U.S. and nine other countries for just four days, but over 200,000 units have already been smuggled into China for sale on the grey market. Natives are reportedly importing the device into the city of Shenzhen, a city that borders Hong Kong, for a profit of around $20 on each device.
Customers in Hong Kong must reserve Apple's new iPad online before they attempt to collect it from store.
iOS devices are big business in China, and not just for Apple. Gangs of scalpers queue up to get their hands on the latest devices on launch day so that they can later be sold on through the grey market for a sizable profit.
Back in October, when the iPhone 4S launched in Hong Kong, police were called to break up the riots that occurred outside of Apple retail stores as scalpers attempted to force their way into the lines ahead of genuine customers. To ensure it doesn’t happen again, Apple has warned scalpers not to queue up for its new iPad on Friday.
While Apple’s trademark dispute with Proview Technology rages on, the iPad continues to feel the strain in China. Following its ban in one Chinese city, the device has now been pulled from Amazon China and the retailer has frozen all orders.
Apple comes down hard on manufacturers that attempt to use its product names — or any variation of its product names — for their own goods. We learned this yesterday when it was revealed the Cupertino company is demanding a New Zealand case manufacturer to change the name of its driPhone brand. But it seems Apple may be guilty of exactly the same practice, which could land it a $38 million fine from Chinese company Proview Technology.
If you are looking for the best online deals from an Apple Store, it would pay to head to the United States, or any English-speaking store, a new analysis finds.
If you’re reading us from Asia, great news: the Asian continent’s own answer to Black Friday starts tomorrow, January 6th, and as rumored. Apple’s now having a Lunar New Year Sale to celebrate, offering discounts on most of their popular products in China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan and Thailand.
The discounts are basically similar to those U.S. Apple Store customers saw in November, with discounts of between 6-8% on iPads, 10% discounts on iPods, and between 5-10% off all MacBooks.
If you’re in one of the aforementioned countries and want to start the New Year right, get hopping: this sale will only continue for 24 hours.
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![20 Stunning Images That Show How Magical The Apple Store Can Really Be [Gallery]](http://cdn.cultofmac.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/FromOuterSpace.jpg "FromOuterSpace")
![Over 200,000 New iPads Have Already Been Smuggled Into One Chinese City [Report]](http://cdn.cultofmac.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/ipad-2-chinese-grey-market.jpg "ipad-2-chinese-grey-market")
![Apple Offering Discounts On Most Products In Asia To Celebrate The Lunar New Year [Deals]](http://cdn.cultofmac.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Screen-Shot-2012-01-05-at-12.23.05-PM-640x163.jpg "Screen Shot 2012-01-05 at 12.23.05 PM")
