Late Sunday, an earthquake with magnitude 4.8 occurred in the city of Ya’an, China in the Sichuan province, causing over 189 deaths and over 11,000 injuries. Almost instantly, rescue teams began searching for survivors and money began flowing in through different channels to help the victims of the terrible quake.
Big corporations such as Apple didn’t stand by either, donating money within 15 hours of the earthquake striking the region. Apple has pledged $8 million to help in the recovery efforts, showing that at times help is something that can be used from anyone, not just the government and aid organizations.
China has been a major source of revenue for Apple, and the company has benefited greatly from the country. Some would consider it insensitive for the company not to help, especially since the Cupertino company has given aid to many other disasters including the tsunami in Japan in 2011 and Hurricane Sandy in the U.S just last year.
Apple updated their website in China to show their support for the victims although the company also released a separate press release to note the dollar amount they would be donating. The full statement, which has been translated to English reads as follows:
In this difficult time, our hearts are with the victims of the Sichuan earthquake closely linked in addition to the form of cash donations to help the affected people to tide over their difficulties, we are also committed to the new Apple device as part of the disaster area schools, Apple employees at any time in the local stand-by to help.
Apple has been getting bad press in China recently, with a series of claimed “double standards in customer service and returns policies”. It is a no-brainer for Apple to try and fix this issue and try to regain the support of the people of China, and this is a great first step that shows that the company does care about its customers and their concerns.
{Via AppleInsider}
]]> https://touchreviews.net/apple-donates-8-million-chinese-earthquake-victims/feed/ 0According to Digitimes, Apple Inc. (AAPL) is planning to launch a cheaper iPhone for emerging markets around the world, such as China. China is a major growth opportunity for AAPL, as noted by CEO Tim Cook in the past. The low-cost iPhone is expected to include a larger display and a new design.
Apple will roll out a low-cost version of the iPhone for China and other emerging markets in the second half of 2013, according to supply-chain sources.
Some sources claimed that they have seen the sample of the low-cost iPhone, which will come with a larger display, meeting the prevailing trend for the adoption of 5-inch displays for high-end models. They added that the low-priced iPhone will also have a brand new exterior design.
It has been rumored for quite some time that Apple is looking to introduce a smaller iPhone, or perhaps different sizes for different markets. However, it is unlikely that Apple will make the iPhone any bigger than the current 4 inch design.
A smaller iPhone would make the iPhone similar to the iPod, giving users the option to choose everything including size, design, coverage plans, etc. It is unclear exactly how Apple plans to create a smaller iPhone or when it plans it plans to launch, but it is expected later this year.
{Via MacRumors}
]]> https://touchreviews.net/apple-inc-aapl-planning-launch-lowcost-iphone-emerging-markets/feed/ 0Apple Inc. (AAPL) iPhone 5 went on sale in the United States in late September, adding to the holiday lineup of all new Macs and iPods. Now, AAPL is also planning to bring the latest iPhone with the taller 4 inch screen, A6 chip, and LTE wireless to China. On Friday, The Wall Street Journal reported that the Cupertino based company would be bringing the iPhone 5 to China in late November or early December.
Government officials haven’t offered guidance on when the iPhone 5 might win final approval. But China Telecom Chairman Wang Xiaochu said Friday in a brief interview on the sidelines of the Communist Party’s 18th Party Congress in Beijing that the phone should be by early December if not sooner.
China Unicom Chairman Chang Xiaobing was less certain. “We hope to offer it this year, but what I say doesn’t matter,” he said on the sidelines of the congress, adding that his company was waiting for the government to grant the remaining licenses for the phone to be released in China.
Apple is already looking at a breakthrough holiday quarter and with the iPhone 5 selling in other countries, the company will experience even higher sales. According to the WSJ report, 16% of Apple’s revenue came from China last quarter, which equates to $5.7 billion. Apple’s Foxconn factory has been experiencing delays in production of the iPhone 5, and shortages of the device in places where it is already on sale and is causing even more demand for the product.
Apple has already mentioned that they will roll out the iPhone 5 to 100 more countries after the US and with the rapid release around the world, and will do so in about 2 months after the initial US release. Despite Apple not officially selling the iPhone in China, there are many in use across the country, brought in by resellers who have purchased them in other countries, mostly the United States.
As sales begin and gradually increase in China, the number of units being purchased for resale in the United States will stop. As a result, the production will finally catch up to the demand. China is a major growth opportunity for Apple, as CEO Tim Cook has mentioned in the past, and it will continue to be as demand for the company’s products grow more and more each year.
{Via MacRumors}
]]> https://touchreviews.net/apple-inc-aapl-release-iphone-5-china-late-november-early-december/feed/ 5On Tuesday, Apple Inc. (AAPL) issued a press release, announcing that the 3rd generation iPad would be launching in China on July 20th.
In China the new iPad will be available through the Apple Online Store (www.apple.com), select Apple Authorized Resellers and by reservation from Apple retail stores. Reservation requests will be accepted daily from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. beginning Thursday, July 19 for pick up the following day. Additionally, iPad 2 is available at a more affordable price starting at just $399 (US).
AAPL recently settled a dispute over the “iPad” trademark in China and was likely holding the release until the issue was resolved. The settlement was worth $60 million and gave Apple the rights to use the name. Although China is one the last countries to receive the new iPad 3, the introduction is a smart move by Apple and will positively affect their international revenue.
It should take only a week or two for China’s national trademark authority to transfer the iPad trademark for China to Apple, added Mr. Xie, of the Grandall Legal Group in Shenzhen.
China and other parts of Asia are a large part of Apple’s quarterly revenue and has become a crucial business strategy for the Cupertino, Calif. based company. Apple launched the new iPad earlier this year, in March, with an updated A5X chip, Retina Display, and a 5 megapixel iSight camera.
{via Apple}
]]> https://touchreviews.net/apple-inc-aapl-launch-new-ipad-3-china-july-20th/feed/ 2Apple Inc. (AAPL) currently operates six retail stores in greater China, and serves more than 216 million people per store, in comparison to the total population in the country. AAPL has two retail stores in Beijing, three in Shanghai, and one in Hong Kong. In 2010, when Ron Johnson was still head of Apple Retail, he suggested that the company would open over 25 retail stores in China.
On Wednesday, a report from Reuters revealed that the state of Pennsylvania has more Apple Retail Stores than all of China, a fact that can be quite surprising when considering that the 6 retail stores in China bring in one fifth of Apple’s total revenue. Pennsylvania currently has eight stores, with 3 in Pittsburgh and 5 others across the state. The population of the state is at 12.7 million as opposed to the 1.2 billion people in China.
The Cupertino company is taking its time in China and selecting prime retail locations that can serve numerous regions. Due to Apple’s lack of a large retail presence in China, a strong surge in scalping has become an issue at some locations. Scalpers essentially buy out stock of a newly introduced Apple product on launch day and then attempt to sell them on the street illegally for much higher prices, because of Apple’s low stock and pent up demand.
Apple’s future is definitely in China, where the company is quickly building a reputation and a large customer base. Last month, Chinese government officials stated that Apple may be looking to open two new retail locations in Chengdu and Shenzhen. Shenzhen is currently the location of a Foxconn factory, where Apple’s products are manufactured. Apple has not yet commented on this report and has not announced any further plans to open more retail locations or follow Ron Johnson’s plans for over 25 retail stores in China.
]]> https://touchreviews.net/apple-inc-aapl-retail-stores-pennsylvania-than-china/feed/ 2Recently, the Chinese government approved the sale of the new iPad in the country, and the WiFi version of the popular tablet went on sale after being certified. In a report from MarketWatch, it was confirmed that the Cellular model of the new iPad, identified as such by the A1430 model number in the database, received its network access license early on Wednesday.
As a result, Apple will now be able to sell the Cellular model in addition to the WiFi models in China and will be able to begin shipping to Apple Stores in the country. Apple has been continuously adding to the list of countries receiving the new iPad, and is now beginning to introduce its products in new markets across Asia, which is also a large source of Apple’s international revenue.
According to China’s Telecommunication Equipment Certification Center, an Apple device with third-generation, high-speed wireless data capabilities has been issued the license needed for the company to begin sales in China.
The device, listed as “model number A1430″ is compatible with the 3G standard wide band code division multiple access, or WCDMA. The language used by the regulator suggests the device is the new iPad, which has yet to launch in China. Vendors often begin selling new devices within weeks of network access licenses being granted.
Apple is continuously adding to their country selection page; last week, the Philippines and Guam, and most recently Honduras and Paraguay. Apple’s new iPad is continuing to dominate the tablet computer market and will continue to help the company’s revenue increase as they enter new and emerging markets overseas.
{Via MacRumors}
]]> https://touchreviews.net/apple-inc-aapl-bring-ipad-china-gains-certification-cellular-model/feed/ 7Apple launched its new iPad 3 earlier this year, and expanded it for sale in a number of international countries. On Apple’s iPad selection page in Latin America, additional countries have been added. Apple’s country page was recently updated to reflect the availability of the new iPad in 30 new countries, including Brazil.
The full list of countries for May 11 include: Argentina, Aruba, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Cambodia, Chile, Costa Rica, Curaçao, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Jamaica, Kenya, Madagascar, Malta, Martinique,Mauritius, Morocco, Peru, Taiwan, Tunisia, Vietnam.
May 12th will include: Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates. Apple is also looking to bring its previous generation iPad 2 to a number of countries, including China, Honduras, Indonesia, Nicaragua, Paraguay, and the Philippines at a lower price, putting the finishing touches and securing final deals.
Apple continues to make its new iPad available in nations all around the world, allowing the company to expand its line of products and gain more users. Apple’s recent focus on Asia has given the company a significant boost in international sales and marketing. With these 30 new countries added, Apple continues to build upon its success.
{via MacRumors}
]]> https://touchreviews.net/apple-new-ipad-30-new-countries/feed/ 2Apple’s retail stores are truly one of a kind, blending materials such as glass and aluminum into intricate pieces of art that dress up any neighborhood they are built in. Apple intends to protect that idea, hoping to be the only one with a one of a kind experience for its customers. The latest act of preservation by the company is to patent the 54 foot tall, 75 foot wide and 30 foot deep glass design on its Apple Upper West Side store.
Details for the patent were revealed in a patent application earlier this week, published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. The patent filing focuses specifically on the curved glass roof of the store, located blocks from Lincoln Center and a few avenues from Apple’s flagship Fifth Avenue Store. The support structure of the store are also parts of the filing, which highlights specific sections of the outer shell that adds to the design of the store.
The Upper West Side store opened in November of 2009, and since then has become one of the five stores in Manhattan. This latest patent comes only a week after the USPTO revealed plans to patent the cylindrical design of Apple’s main store in Shanghai, China.
Apple’s obsessive focus on the simplicity of its stores plays very well into the design of the store, which the company goes to great lengths to preserve and shelter from copycats. Much of this personal belief comes from the vision of former CEO and Chairman, Steve Jobs, who believed simplicity was the key to life, and vowed to preserve Apple’s ideas.
Apple Stores around the world receive about 18,000 visitors a week per store, with each store bringing in about $12.2 million in revenue. Apple has continued to expand its retail sector, focusing on countries such as China as well as larger cities in the United States.
{via Apple Insider}
]]> https://touchreviews.net/apple-patent-glass-design-upper-west-side-retail-store-nyc/feed/ 0Apple still relies on Google’s Maps technology to provide iPhone users with directions and map data, as well as search feature in the native Safari browser. Google relies on Apple’s massive number of iPhone users to bring mobile traffic to the search giant. However, the distance between the tech giants is becoming more apparent with reports of Apple looking to include China’s Baidu search in iOS.
A report from SinaTech via TechinAsia revealed that the Cupertino company is looking to release an update that will incorporate Baidu’s search functionality into iOS, much like Google search operates now. This would allow users to opt for Baidu to search everything from streets to websites directly from the iPhone and much more quickly too. According to a previous report from TheNextWeb, Baidu currently holds over 83.6 percent of China’s search space and is more detailed than Google in mapping streets in China. This would severely impact the number of Google users in China, especially if Baidu ships out of the box on the iPhone and iPad.
Apple has a large market share in China and is continuously expanding its number of retail stores and the influence of its products to capitalize on the large influx in customers. Tim Cook specified that China is a large growth opportunity for Apple and is visiting the country to likely familiarize Apple with its international customers. Baidu may be just what Apple needs to help pioneer its vision in China and allow its products to be as simple and accessible for its international customers as it is for customers in the United States.
{via TheNextWeb}
]]> https://touchreviews.net/apple-ios-add-support-baidu-search/feed/ 0In an unprecedented move by Apple Inc. (AAPL), the company has allowed ABC’s ‘Nightline’ to access and report on Foxconn factories in China. Apple in recent times has come under the spotlight due to allegations of forced over time, under age labour and explosions in its supply chain factories.
AAPL has always as a company policy never commented on future products or delved into details about its manufacturing partners. However, ABC’s Bill Weir was approached by Apple to visit Foxconn factories, interview employees, managers and get a feel of the working conditions and how Apple’s products are manufactured in China.
Apple promised complete access, no dog-and-pony, no Potemkin Village, but they denied my repeated requests to interview Apple CEO Tim Cook or the senior vice president of industrial design, Jony Ive.
The story titled “iFactory: Inside Apple” will air on ABC today at 11:35 PM Eastern and Pacific. ABC recently posted a preview of the upcoming story which shows the co-anchor Bill Weir talking to Foxconn employees and even visiting the dorms where they stay.
Wier reports that after suicides took place in Foxconn the management became more conscious about the way they treat their employees and even set up counseling centers.
As groups of 300 are processed with military precision, an electronic billboard outside the recruitment center tells them what they can expect: starting salary is around $285 a month or $1.78 an hour. And even with the maximum 80 hours of overtime a month, the Chinese government considers them too poor to withdraw any payroll taxes.
One major complain that most employees seem to have was low pay. As labour is easily available and ready to work in shifts for long hours the monthly salary is very low and the repetitive nature of the job further caused them fatigue.
Apple joined the F.L.A. on Jan. 13, eight days before the New York Times ran a series examining the company’s labor practices.
In addition to granting access to Foxconn factories Apple has also allowed F.L.A (Fair Labor Association) to audit the factories. According to the report published by ABC News, F.L.A. President Auret van Heerden revealed that they had been in conversation with Apple for about five years.
]]> https://touchreviews.net/apple-inc-aapl-grants-abc-nightline-access-foxconn-factories/feed/ 6Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) has experienced major growth in revenue and profit in international markets over the last few months, and continues to grow in promising markets such as Asia, and the United Kingdom. However, Apple’s (AAPL) increasing influence in South America, more specifically, Brazil has led to a very promising outlook for Apple.
Apple CEO Tim Cook noted that Brazil appears to be a future growth area, also mentioning that, “I think there’s a huge opportunity for us there, and we’ve more than begun to go deeper into Brazil”. Cook, although talking positively about growth in Brazil, was quick to mention that retail was not one of Apple’s goals at this point, saying, “But I don’t want to signal that that means that Apple retail will be there, because I don’t envision that occurring in the near term”.
Brazil is home to almost 200 million people and has one of the best economies in South America. Brazil’s Per capita income, while not as strong as the United States competes directly with China for the number two spot, and shows that the country is economically strong enough to support retail presence from big companies such as Apple.
Customers in Brazil currently pay the most for Apple products in the world, with an unsubsidized 16 GB iPhone 4S coming in around US$1,400 in Brazil. While these high prices can be a result of Brazil’s high import duties, Apple is going to have to market and match prices for their products accordingly with the rest of the world in order to make a reasonable profit from the South American country.
{via TUAW}
]]> https://touchreviews.net/apple-inc-aapl-sees-major-opportunity-growth-profit-brazil/feed/ 2Apple has been experiencing high sales volume for the iPhone 4S, since its release late last year, in October. Apple, after releasing in the United States, began the roll out of the popular device in international markets, including China, however, after scalpers caused many problems in recent months, and a near riot in Apple’s Sanlitun retail store in Beijing, the Cupertino company has decided to halt sales of the device in-store “until further notice”.
Reuters reported early Friday that Apple stopped in-store sales after police restrained a massive crowd, causing riot behavior and unsafe conditions for both customers and employees. Scalpers are very common in Chinese Apple Stores, buying up iPhone and iPad stock, causing limited availability of the device, and then selling them at higher than suggested retail prices.
This illegal activity has caused tensions in Apple Stores which consistently run low on stock iOS devices and has also caused a major headache for police who must manage crowds of angry people on a regular basis.
“The demand for iPhone 4S has been incredible and our stores in China have already sold out,” an Apple spokeswoman said.
“Unfortunately, we were unable to open our store at Sanlitun due to the large crowd. And to ensure the safety of our customers and our employees, iPhones will not be available in our retail stores in Beijing and Shanghai for the time being,” she said.
Apple’s decision to halt in-store sales is a smart one, because of the negative press that they would receive by allowing a riot in one of their retail stores. With sales halted, online sales will be increasing, which could possibly lead to a number of crashes and errors on the Apple Online Store. It’ll be interesting to see how Apple’s PR team will handle this situation as the days progress and the announcement of an iPad 3 gets closer and closer.
]]> https://touchreviews.net/apple-suspends-sales-iphone-4s-china-concerns-safety/feed/ 2Apple on Wednesday announced that they are planning to rollout the iPhone 4S to 22 countries around the world on Friday, January 13th with China as the featured addition for the debut. The Cupertino based company has been experiencing heavy adoption rate and positive sales in China and other countries in Asia.
Customer response to our products in China has been off the charts,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “With the launch in China next week, iPhone 4S will be available in over 90 countries making this our fastest iPhone rollout ever.
The iPhone 4S currently operates on China Unicom in China, however, Apple has not specified whether they will be adding any new carriers to the iPhone 4 and 4S. In big markets, such as the US, Apple is constantly looking to expand to more networks. Currently, China has only one carrier for iPhone 4S.
Alongside China, Apple is also rolling out the iPhone 4S in 21 new countries, including: Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Bolivia, Botswana, British Virgin Islands, Cameroon, Cayman Islands, Central African Republic, China, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Grenada, Guam, Guinea Conakry, Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Kenya, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritius, Niger, Senegal, St. Vincent and The Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos and Uganda.
{via MacRumors}
]]> https://touchreviews.net/apple-roll-out-iphone-4s-china-21-other-countries-january-13th/feed/ 0Apple has planned to launch a major sale across Asia in celebration of The Year of the Dragon, something that is rarely seen and not done regularly by Apple. The sale will begin on January 6, but will last only for the day in Apple Stores in China, Japan, and numerous other Asian countries.
Apple is not currently disclosing details on what the sale offers, however, it may be similar to Apple’s Black Friday sales in the US with minor discounts on iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch, as well as models of Macbooks and other smaller products.
Customers in China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Thailand, Singapore and the Philippines are eligible for Apple’s one-day sale, which the company is calling ‘Red Friday’, offering a range of accessories, gadgets and software — as well as some Apple Store exclusives.
Apple has seen major growth and adoption of its products in Asian markets, particularly in China, and is looking to expand its reach by conducting sales and announcement of products internationally around key dates in the Asian calendar. It is very interesting to see Apple’s personal approach to sales in numerous countries, by including holidays and popular culture of Asia as opposed to a more corporate approach to sales.
Apple’s establishment in the Asian markets has witnessed substantial growth over the past few years and continues to grow as the company expands the number of retail stores and online availability in more countries.
{via TiPb}
]]> https://touchreviews.net/apple-red-friday-one-day-sale-asia-celebrate-year-dragon/feed/ 0Rumors of Apple’s iPad 3 have been swirling for quite some time now, from speculations on design, camera improvements, and performance boosts from an A6 chip. However, on Monday, an image published by 9to5Mac showed what was claimed to be two iPad home buttons. One was that of the current iPad 2, and the other was claimed to be that of an iPad 3, expected for release early next year.
The ‘iPad 3’ home button is visibly smaller than that of the iPad 2 and highlights a smaller icon on the face. While this may be a small cosmetic tweak by Apple, it is very likely that Apple may be looking to do away with the home button altogether or may be planning a smaller bezel of some sorts. Rumors of a 7” iPad also emerged this past weekend, and it could be in connection with these images.
Steve Jobs, prior to his resigning from CEO out rightly stated that a 7” iPad is too small, and 10” is the standard for a comfortable experience. If Apple is going to minimize the iPad in some form, the home button is definitely a great indication to gauge future screen and bezel sizes. The iPad 3 is expected to be announced sometime early next year, between the months of February and April, much like the announcement of the original iPad an iPad 2.
What do you think this means? Would you be interested in purchasing a 7” iPad?
{via MacRumors}
]]> https://touchreviews.net/ipad-3-home-button-parts-circulating-china-photo/feed/ 2Much like YouTube is to the rest of the world, the YouKu service is China’s leading video streaming website; allowing users to upload content with no duration limit. It has also partnered with over 1,500 license holders, including television stations and film and TV production companies in China, who regularly provide content to the site.
Citing information gathered from a trusted source, TechNode reports that YouKu’s founder, Victor Koo, recently met with Steve Jobs to discuss the possibility of having his service pre-installed on iOS devices sold in China.
While there’s currently no other evidence to back up TechNode’s claims, replacing the YouTube app for Chinese users — who physically can’t get any use out of it — certainly seems like the logical thing for Apple to do.
Either that, or at least allow users who don’t want or need the application to remove it. One of the things on my wish-list for iOS 5 is the ability to remove pre-installed applications that I have no use for.
For example, I opened Apple’s Stocks application when I received my first-generation iPhone – just to see what it was all about. Since then, I’ve never used it. It just sits there, hidden away in a folder, taking up space.
I also don’t see a need for the Contacts application – it’s incredibly easy to access contacts through the Phone app; so why do we need another application for it?
What do you think? Would you like the ability to remove Apple’s pre-installed applications? Let me know in the comments.
[via TNW] ]]> https://touchreviews.net/chinese-iphone-ship-youku-youtube-app-ios5/feed/ 7