Apple’s next generation iPhone, being called the ‘iPhone 5′ has been rumored to be in the works. In recent weeks, parts of what appears to be the next generation iPhone 5 have appeared online, including a metal back cover which seemed to justify rumors that the next iPhone will have a larger screen and a smaller dock connector.

On Thursday, a report from Reuters mentioned that Chinese vendors have begun to take orders for an ‘iPhone 5’, parts of which may be created entire from speculation with no specs or announcements from Apple.

Sellers on Taobao, a unit of Alibaba Group, are accepting orders for the iPhone 5, in some cases asking for a deposit of 1,000 yuan ($160) for the new phone. One seller, “Dahai99888″, who started accepting pre-orders this week, is asking for full payment upfront, at a cool 6,999 yuan ($1,100).

Taobao sellers that Reuters spoke with said they planned to buy the iPhone 5 in Hong Kong or the United States and then bring it to mainland China. Apple products are often available in Hong Kong before they are released on the mainland.

Chinese vendors often create models, and prototype devices based on rumors on the web of what an upcoming Apple product may look like. The report also focuses on similar vendors selling cases for the purported ‘iPhone 5’, which may also have been created based on speculation. Case vendors have been wrong in the past about iPhone’s design, more specifically the rumored tapered design.

Images of the claimed next generation iPhone 5 posted by KitGuru show iPhone design consistent with rumors on the web, including the elongated body, smaller dock connector, new speaker grill, and a headphone jack located at the bottom. Although the photos may appear to be genuine, the rough and unfinished body of the device, as well as the absence of an LCD display show that this may, in fact be a physical mockup based on previous rumors. KitGuru did not specify as to where the images came from, but mentioned that it was seen “in the Far East”.

Numerous parts for the upcoming iPhone 5 have been found, but it is unclear whether many of these claims are genuine, especially when considering that some Chinese vendors and casemakers have been wrong in the past. Apple’s next generation iPhone is expected to be released in October, along with the rumored iPad Mini and the final version of iOS 6.

{via MacRumors}

On 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}

Apple 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.

Recently, 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}

Apple 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}

Reports about the treatment of workers at Apple Inc. (AAPL) Supplier factories in other countries surfaced on Thursday, revealing that the companies ignored many issues with their workers, many cases which led to suicide in a Foxconn factory. On Friday, AAPL CEO Tim Cook responded to the reports, suggesting that Apple takes any and all employee issues seriously and is now investigating and addressing any issues or concerns. 9to5Mac reported Tim Cook’s reponse on Apple’s efforts to oversee compliance with company standards for workers’ rights.

As a company and as individuals, we are defined by our values. Unfortunately some people are questioning Apple’s values today, and I’d like to address this with you directly. We care about every worker in our worldwide supply chain. Any accident is deeply troubling, and any issue with working conditions is cause for concern. Any suggestion that we don’t care is patently false and offensive to us. As you know better than anyone, accusations like these are contrary to our values. It’s not who we are.

Cook also goes on to thank employees who are focusing and helping with these issues and that Apple is taking this very seriously and will continue to increase its efforts.

We will continue to dig deeper, and we will undoubtedly find more issues. What we will not do — and never have done — is stand still or turn a blind eye to problems in our supply chain. On this you have my word.

The New York Times has also gathered statements from Chinese readers, who suggest that this issue is not specific to Apple and is rather a widespread issue, which should be addressed with governmental regulations. This issue appears to be very prevalent in manufacturing factories, such as Apple’s Foxconn supplier and many other companies who outsource manufacturing.

{via Mac Rumors}

Apple 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.

Chinagram – Chinese Writing Review

The whole app looks great and is a pleasure to navigate around, from the 12 pages of Chinese writing history to the pages and pages of the words themselves the app oozes quality.

The history of Chinese writing that’s included in this app is an eye opening article and it’s interspersed with beautiful illustrations too. It’s the letter writing though that this app is all about.

The words are grouped into a variety of categories from Animals and Household items to Nature and Travel there is something for everyone here. Each word has it’s own page and includes the evolution of the word, a description, pronunciation and a guide to how to write the word itself.

The writing part of the app continues where the the rest of the app left off with a stylish looking palette and a range of brushes to paint the word on the iPad. There’s even an option to have the strokes numbered so that you can paint the word in the right order.

Chinagram isn’t going to appeal to a whole bunch of people but what it does it does beautifully and I’m pretty sure there is nothing else like it in the App Store.

Pros

• Looks great
• 100+ words
• Pronunciation included

Cons

• Limited use case

Gallery

Much 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.