Ever since Steve Jobs’s untimely death and the release of Walter Isaacson’s biography, America’s been going Steve crazy… but you know where Jobsmania is even worse? China. In fact, from the launch lines, you’d think it was the iPad 3 that was coming out, not a book.
First a China supplier of MacBook unibody cases was forced to spend millions on pollution cleanup, now an iPhone plant is under scrutiny for noise and gas pollution. Pegatron, just days from an investor conference, announced plans to update equipment and work closely with local residents.
The world’s largest carrier, China Mobile, has over 600 million wireless subscribers. 10 million of these customers have iPhones despite that fact that China Mobile is not an official Apple partner.
What’s even more surprising is that the iPhone isn’t currently compatible with China Mobile’s TD-SCDMA 3G network, meaning that these 10 million unofficial iPhone users are all limited to 2G data speeds.
China has always been important for Apple manufacturing, with marque products such as the iPhone and iPad originating in the Asian giant. However, now China is also becoming an important source for sales revenue. China’s 1.33 billion people are now Apple’s second-best revenue-generating market. Little wonder Apple CEO Tim Cook Tuesday calls China “an enormous opportunity” for the tech giant.
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While the possibility of an iPhone 5 with an all-new design has been quashed in recent rumors, case makers in China are still confident that Apple will have a surprise up its sleeve come October 4. So confident, in fact, that you’ll be surprised at how many iPhone 5 cases are already available.
A China Unicom executive has just confirmed that Apple’s next iPhone will be 4G-capable. But surround air quotes around 4G, because we’re not talking LTE: we’re talking 21Mbps HSPA+ technology. In other words, marketing 4G.
Chinese police in Shanghai have arrested a gang of five people for making and selling fake iPhones on the black market. Unlike the other fake iPhones we’ve seen, however, these ones were made using a selection of real iPhone parts.
Apple finally sent out invitations today for its next iPhone event, and everyone is wondering if we’ll see the iPhone 4S, iPhone 5, or both. Many are starting to feel that there will be only one iPhone unveiled this year, but that remains to be seen.
We have been seeing tons of purported iPhone 5 cases leaked from case manufacturers overseas. The reason? Apple hardware manufacturer Foxconn seems to have lost an iPhone 5 prototype.
Foxconn workers at the company’s plant in Yantai, a city in the northeastern Shandong province, have had to evacuate the building today as another fire and possible explosion engulfed parts of the factory in smoke. Thankfully, it seems no one has been injured.
Apple has responded to concerns from environmental activist groups in China by meeting with The Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs (IPE) in Beijing. IPE has called the gesture a “positive sign” that Apple is attentive to environmental concerns regarding its suppliers overseas.
According to Macworld, IPE and other groups have accused Apple of using Chinese manufacturers that pollute the environment, even going so far as to say that such manufacturers are responsible for a rise in cancer rates among locals.
Chinese pirates beware: Apple has more patents and it knows how to use them. China granted the tech giant 40 patents covering the iPad, iPhone and even its retail stores. Long bedeviled by faux iPhones and retail location ripoffs, the Cupertino, Calif. company now has legal protection for its popular products.
Taking the opposite approach of most American students, China’s Peking University student body is mad at Apple for placing an Apple store inside the campus library. Why? Because it “goes against the spirit and environment” of studying.
Apple’s iPad will soon be spawning in Brazil, according to the country’s Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Aloizio Mercadante. Until now, the device has been produced solely by Foxconn in China, but by December Brazilian iPads will be hitting the market.
While Apple is still yet to announce its highly-anticipated iPhone 5, that hasn’t stopped a number of carriers from advertising the device and taking pre-orders. China Telecom is the latest to begin preparations for Apple’s fifth-generation device, reportedly taking orders from the end of this month.
Apple has finally been granted certification to sell its 3G iPad 2 in mainland China, according to The Wall Street Journal. Up until now, the Cupertino company has only been able to offer its Wi-Fi only tablet, but it now has the ‘network access license’ needed to sell the 3G-capable device.
Chinese environmental activists are threatening to tarnish Apple’s image unless the tech giant reduces the amount of pollution coming from suppliers in this populous country. Five non-governmental organizations Wednesday released a report charging Apple uses suppliers which take “advantage of the loopholes in developing countries’ environmental management systems.”
What have Apple and erectile-dysfunction drug Viagra got in common? They are both wildly-popular and hot items on the Chinese counterfeiting circuit. Little wonder then, that the iPhone maker hired the head of drug-maker Pfizer security to root out fake smartphones and tablets in China.
Remember those fake Apple stores in China that were uncovered last month? It turns out that faux Apple stores abound in other continents, like Europe, and unauthorized resellers have even been popping up in the US.
After an investigation by the Chinese authorities, 22 fake Apple stores were shut down. One of the main stores in Kunming, China has been rebranded with a clever new name: the “Smart Store.”
At least the store owner didn’t have the nerve to call it the “Genius Store.”
Following the discovery of some pretty convincing fake Apple stores in China a few weeks ago, the Chinese authorities have been on the hunt for more. Their last find uncovered a whole 22 stores in the city of Kunming along.
First, Apple kicked Nokia out of New York, then European operations were curtailed, now comes word Apple will likely attack the cell phone pioneer in China, the hottest market for smartphone makers. A “drastic realignment” in that Asian giant’s mobile marketplace is expected later this year.
Of all the things we expect to see from Apple’s iPhone 5 in the coming months, it isn’t super-speedy LTE capabilities. However, China Mobile says that it has struck a deal with Apple to bring the next-genearation iPhone to its 4G TD-LTE network.
This morning’s report that claims the iPhone 5 will now launch a month later than its expected September release will be a huge blow to some, but as long as you’re not too concerned about having your device made by Apple, you can get an iPhone 5 today in China.
To those of you who scoffed at Steve Wozniak when he said that machines will one day take over as superior beings, leaving us humans as the “dogs of the house,” take note: It seems Woz’ vision is very much becoming a reality for some Foxconn workers, who are set to be replaced by robots over the next three years.
Having watched Mark Malkoff’s hilarious video earlier this week, we now know it’s possible to have a pizza delivered to your local Apple store, take your pet goat to check out the latest Mac minis, and get your iPhone repaired while you’re dressed as Darth Vadar. But will a real Apple store help you troubleshoot your knockoff MacBook Air?
This is one in China did!
We’re all aware of how popular Apple’s tablet is. It spawns endless lines outside of Apple stores for days after its launch, and it no other tablet is anywhere close to being as successful. Apple’s iPad is so popular in fact, that one in six Hong Kong citizens own the device.