If you haven't noticed lately, part leaks for Apple's rumored iPad mini have started to pick up over the past few weeks. Last weekend, the tablet's dock connector assembly surfaced. And a few days before that we saw its audio jack.
These pieces should help alleviate some of the skepticism that the smaller iPad doesn't exist that came along with no physical evidence. But if you're still on the fence about the slate, check out these new iPad mini cases...
Foxconn, Apple's largest manufacturer of iPads and other iOS devices, has been taking heat for several years now for its poor working conditions. These conditions were said to be a major factor in a string of suicides at the company.
The bad press reached a fever pitch earlier this year, when The New York Times published a lengthy article that painted a bleak picture of the electronics-maker. But according to a new report, it's turning things around...
China's second-largest telco, China Unicom, could abandon iPhone subsidy once its contract bundles expire in September, an Asian trade publication wrote on Friday, citing industry sources. The anti-subsidy sentiment is nothing new, but apparently China Mobile is unable to justify billions in prepayments to Apple and high investments in infrastructure in order to cope with fast-growing traffic because sales of contract iPhones reportedly have not met its internal expectations...
When Lei Jun, founder and CEO of China's mobile company Xiaomi Technology, took the stage in Beijing yesterday to announce the Xiaomi Phone 2, his company's successor to the MiOne phone, it was a familiar sight to anyone who has ever watched one of Apple's famous theatrical product unveilings.
Clad in a black turtleneck, blue jeans and runners and standing in front of a giant screen as the audience of more than a thousand devotees cheered and clapped, the unveiling bore more than a passing resemblance to an Apple event starring Steve Jobs.
But that's beyond the point. What matters is that Xiaomi Technology. Ever heard of the company? Founded only two years ago, it's already worth more than BlackBerry maker Research In Motion. Its latest smartphone has better hardware than the iPhone 4S, yet sells for less than half the price.
Xiaomi's Q1 2012 revenue was nearly $1 billion on sales on three million phones. Not bad for a two-year old handset maker doing business in the 1.33 billion people market, which recently overtook the United States in terms of iOS and Android activations. Xiaomi is one of many iPhone contenders in China whose names you've never heard before.
Can Apple respond to this latest local challenge to the iPhone?
Even though Apple's third-generation iPad arrived in China four months late (blame it on the Proview situation), it appears that the device has helped push Apple's tablet market share in the 1.33 billion people country past the 70 percent mark.
That's quite an achievement considering that Apple only operates six company retail stores in China (two more are opening soon in Chengdu and Shenzhen).
It's also worth a headline knowing that most Chinese cannot afford expensive gear and especially with large-scale buyers paying scalpers to stand in the line and purchase iPads in bulk for the purpose of reselling them on gray market...
China-based Proview recently took home a cool $60 million settlement in iPad trademark case which delayed the tablet's launch in China.
Despite the handsome payout, the bankrupt display vendor says it doesn't have money to pay its lawyers their legal fees accrued while fighting Apple over the iPad trademark.
Lawyers being lawyers, they took their former client to court, seeking 2.4 million dollars in legal fees. What goes around comes around, I guess...
A new report is out tonight, claiming that Pegatron, one of Apple's manufacturing partners in eastern China, has started production on the next-generation iPhone.
The timing makes sense, considering Apple is widely expected to unveil the smartphone sometime in the next few months — late September, early October...
After nearly five months of cutting through red tap, Apple finally launched its third-generation iPad in mainland China today. To much surprise, the tablet made a quiet landing, with only a handful of shoppers in lines spotted around the country's signature Apple Stores.
The lack of noise can probably be attributed to Apple's pre-registration system. In an effort to avoid the chaotic scenes of previous product launches, the company restricted new iPad purchases to pre-order only. But it could also be because many fans already have the tablet...
As promised, Apple today began selling its Retina iPad in China, having paved the way for the long-awaited launch with a recent $60 million trademark settlement with the struggling Chinese monitor vendor ProView.
News reports describe the launch as low-key, lacking the usual long lines and media frenzy like elsewhere. Apple is also seen taking additional steps to fight scalpers with an imposed three-hour window for reservations...
After months of waiting, Apple's third-generation iPad is going to go on sale in mainland China tomorrow. But don't expect overnight campouts or long lines. Word is that Apple has implemented a pre-register buying system to handle tomorrow's tablets sales.
And you can't blame them. Especially after what happened back in January at the iPhone 4S launch in Beijing. As you may recall, an Apple Store was forced to close down due to a mob of angry shoppers. But Apple has a plan this time to avoid the crowds...
CydiaBlog points us to a few purported cases for a sixth-generation iPhone, currently on sale over at TVC-Mall. These look just about right given the rumors calling for a taller iPhone with a two-tone design and a metal backplate that have been piling up recently. These cases also confirm leaked schematics and engineering samples which depict a FaceTime camera at the center and a smaller dock connector at the bottom.
It's been reported this morning that thousands of job seekers are currently lined up outside of Foxconn’s Chengdu, China plant, all vying for a number of summer job openings which could mean that Foxconn is ramping up hiring as it is getting ready to manufacture the iPhone 5, as the Japanese blog Macotakara suggested last week...
Craving more information regarding the sixth-generation iPhone? Don't worry, we've got you covered. A new report is out today, claiming that the highly-anticipated handset has just gone into production.
This would make sense considering all of the next-gen iPhone cases and engineering samples we've seen over the past week. But this report claims the device looks different than previously thought...