Tag - China
Chinese government imposes new user tracking rules on app stores
New rules introduced by the Chinese government are going to increase the monitoring of the country's citizens, by forcing mobile app stores to keep track of their users. Apple and other app store owners are ordered by new rules issued by the Cyberspace Administration of China to keep records of user activity for a period of time, as well as establish the identity of both the users and the app developers, in order to crack down on the viewing and distribution of banned content.
WSJ: Company behind iPhone 6 ban in China 'barely exists'
The company that brought an accusation of patent infringement against Apple may not be in the phone manufacturing business anymore, according to a report. Shenzhen Baili, the entity which successfully got the Beijing Intellectual Property Office to put a ban on the iPhone 6 in the country, is believed to be no longer in operation, with an investigation claiming the smartphone producer "barely exists."
Apple Stores open summer camp registrations in US, other countries
Apple has opened registrations for its annual summer camp for kids in the US, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, The Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, and the United Kingdom, allowing children ages 8 to 12 who are accompanied by a parent or guardian to attend a series of workshops at a local Apple Store focused on iMovie, iBooks Author, and in some countries, basic programming. The sign-ups are on a first-come, first-served basis, and tend to fill up quickly.
Apple fights attempted iPhone 6 ban in China over physical design
Apple has become the subject of another bout of litigation, this time one relating to the iPhone 6 in China. A small Chinese smartphone producer called Baili has complained to the Beijing Intellectual Property Office, claiming consumers cannot tell the "minute differences" between the 100C Android smartphone and the design Apple employed for the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, with the regulator ordering a ban of the offending iPhones from sale in the market.
Icahn upbeat about AAPL, Chinese stability still concerning
Activist investor Carl Icahn still believes Apple has potential and is worth investing in, but China continues to hold him back. In an interview discussing his sale of all Apple stock in April, among other topics, Icahn continued to praise Apple and its leadership, believing CEO Tim Cook is "doing a good job," but the company's prospects in China is preventing him from reinvesting in the iPhone producer in the near future.
Gartner: iPhone market share down three percent in March quarter
The latest research data from Gartner shows Apple's first year-over-year decline in iPhone sales coincided with a reduced share of the global smartphone market. Although the global smartphone market grew by just 3.9 percent year-over-year, Apple was notable for going backwards. Although holding its position as the number two smartphone maker in the world, its market share slid from 17.9 percent to 14.9 percent. Whatever the exact cause of the decline, Gartner's data shows that Apple is not immune to the increasing rise of Chinese smartphone makers.
Report: Chinese 'iPhone' trademark was bought from Russian firm
A lawyer for the Chinese company that won a court case against Apple over the trademark name "iPhone" has now admitted that the trademark it holds was bought from a Russian company in 2011 rather than registered by the firm itself, a fact that might help Apple ultimately prevail in its quest to re-secure the exclusive use the "iPhone" brand name in China. In the court case, Xinton Tiandi Technology asserted its right to use the word "IPHONE" in all caps for its line of leather products.
Tim Cook takes Didi Chuxing's president on Beijing Apple Store visit
Apple CEO Tim Cook spent part of his eighth visit to China as the head of the company to take the president of ride-hailing app Didi Chuxing around an Apple Store. Cook took Liu Qing on a tour of one of Beijing's stores, just days after an announcement was made that Apple made an investment of approximately $1 billion in the firm, which is the dominant ride service in the region by a considerable margin.
Apple invests $1B in Chinese ride-hailing app Didi Chuxing
Apple has made a considerable investment in a ride-hailing service based in China, one that effectively brings Apple into competition against Uber in the region, it has been revealed. Didi Chuxing, formerly known as Didi Kuaidi, has received approximately $1 billion from the investment, with Apple CEO Tim Cook claiming it will help the computer maker increase its understanding of how the Chinese market works.
Tim Cook reportedly planning trip to China to appease government
Tim Cook is planning to visit China again, to have discussions with members of the country's government over various matters, according to a report. The Apple CEO will apparently try to work with the "high-level government officials" later this month to try and smooth out some issues affecting the company in the region, with topics up for debate said to include censorship issues affecting Apple services, as well as the Chinese government's continued pressure on Western companies to comply with its demands.
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Cirrus creates Lightning-headphone dev kit
Apple supplier Cirrus Logic has introduced a MFi-compliant new development kit for companies interested in using Cirrus' chips to create Lightning-based headphones, which -- regardless of whether rumors about Apple dropping the analog headphone jack in its iPhone this fall -- can offer advantages to music-loving iOS device users. The kit mentions some of the advantages of an all-digital headset or headphone connector, including higher-bitrate support, a more customizable experience, and support for power and data transfer into headphone hardware. Several companies already make Lightning headphones, and Apple has supported the concept since June 2014. http://bit.ly/29giiZj
Apple Store app offers Procreate Pocket
The Apple Store app for iPhone, which periodically rewards users with free app gifts, is now offering the iPhone "Pocket" version of drawing app Procreate for those who have the free Apple Store app until July 28. Users who have redeemed the offer by navigating to the "Stores" tab of the app and swiping past the "iPhone Upgrade Program" banner to the "Procreate" banner have noted that only the limited Pocket (iPhone) version of the app is available free, even if the Apple Store app is installed and the offer redeemed on an iPad. The Pocket version currently sells for $3 on the iOS App Store. [32.4MB]
Porsche adds CarPlay to 2017 Panamera
Porsche has added a fifth model of vehicle to its CarPlay-supported lineup, announcing that the 2017 Panamera -- which will arrive in the US in January -- will include Apple's infotainment technology, and be seen on a giant 12.3-inch touchscreen as part of an all-new Porsche Communication Management system. The luxury sedan starts at $99,900 for the 4S model, and scales up to the Panamera Turbo, which sells for $146,900. Other vehicles that currently support CarPlay include the 2016 911 and the 2017 models of Macan, 718 Boxster, and 718 Cayman. The company did not mention support for Google's corresponding Android Auto in its announcement. http://bit.ly/295ZQ94
Apple employees testing wheelchair features
New features included in the forthcoming watchOS 3 are being tested by Apple retail store employees, including a new activity-tracking feature that has been designed with wheelchair users in mind. The move is slightly unusual in that, while retail employees have previously been used to test pre-release versions of OS X and iOS, this marks the first time they've been included in the otherwise developer-only watchOS betas. The company is said to have gone to great lengths to modify the activity tracker for wheelchair users, including changing the "time to stand" notification to "time to roll" and including two wheelchair-centric workout apps. http://bit.ly/2955JDa
SanDisk reveals two 256GB microSDXC cards
SanDisk has introduced two 256GB microSDXC cards. Arriving in August for $150, the Ultra microSDXC UHS-I Premium Edition card offers transfer speeds of up to 95MB/s for reading data. The Extreme microSDXC UHS-I card can read at a fast 100MB/s and write at up to 90MB/s, and will be shipping sometime in the fourth quarter for $200. http://bit.ly/294Q1If
Apple's third-quarter results due July 26
Apple has advised it will be issuing its third-quarter results on July 26, with a conference call to answer investor and analyst queries about the earnings set to take place later that day. The stream of the call will go live at 2pm PT (5pm ET) via Apple's investor site, with the results themselves expected to be released roughly 30 minutes before the call commences. Apple's guidance for the quarter put revenue at between $41 billion and $43 billion. http://apple.co/1oi1Pbm
Twitter stickers slowly roll out to users
Twitter has introduced "stickers," allowing users to add extra graphical elements to their photos before uploading them to the micro-blogging service. A library of hundreds of accessories, props, and emoji will be available to use as stickers, which can be resized, rotated, and placed anywhere on the photograph. Images with stickers will also become searchable with viewers able to select a sticker to see how others use the same graphic in their own posts. Twitter advises stickers will be rolling out to users over the next few weeks, and will work on both the mobile apps and through the browser. http://bit.ly/29bbwUE
