China

China Mobile needs the iPhone now more than ever

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 3, 2013

With a whopping 1.1 billion mobile phone users at the end of November 2012, China is the biggest telecom market in the world by subscriber base. And with about 703 million subscribers, state-owned China Mobile remains the world's largest wireless carrier.

Unfortunately, it's also the country's sole holdout when it comes to the iPhone.

China Mobile and Apple have been in iPhone talks for years now, but neither caved in yet. Apple in particular is unwilling to share a portion of App Store sales in China with the carrier. But seeing its 3G subscriber base eroding as a result of not having the iconic smartphone, China Mobile could be starting to need the iPhone more as it finds itself in a position of softening of its tough stance on doing business with Apple...

Chinese court orders Apple to pay $165K in copyright dispute

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 22, 2018

For the second time in the last 6 months, a Chinese court has found Apple to be liable for the sale of unlicensed works distributed through the App Store. Back in September, it was ordered to pay $82K for the violation, and this time it's double that.

A judge from Beijing's Second Intermediate People's Court on Thursday ordered Apple to pay 1.03 million yuan, or roughly $165,000, to a group of writers who claimed their work was pirated, repurposed as an app and sold through the App Store...

Analyst: iPhone 5 order cut no cause for alarm

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated April 14, 2018

Quit your worrying. In short, that's what one analyst Wednesday is telling nervous observers concerned over a report that Apple reduced orders for the iPhone 5 during the March quarter.

Instead, the reduction in orders could signal a more efficient supply stream and greater profit for investors.

As we reported earlier this week, Citi's Glen Yeung kicked off the hand-wringing by downgrading Apple stock to 'Neutral' from 'Buy', citing increased competition and the lower iPhone 5 orders. Other Wall Street analysts piled on, cutting their price targets for shares of the iPhone maker. Now J P Morgan analyst Mark Moskowitz is the latest to say the reduced orders may not mean lower demand for the new Apple handset...

China is now the world’s largest Android smartphone market

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated January 22, 2018

Just how important is China to the top two smartphone platforms: Google's Android and Apple's iOS? The Asian nation is now the largest single market for Android, with the United States a distant second. What's more, half of the smartphones sold in America next year could be Android-powered unless Apple "makes radical changes to its aging iOS", one research firm warns Tuesday.

China is rushing to turn in their feature phones for more powerful smartphones, according to Informa Telecoms & Media. Smartphones grew at an 85 percent clip compared to 2011. That's nearly double the 45 percent year-over-year growth worldwide. Just in 2012 alone, an astounding 786 million smartphones were sold in the 1.33 billion people market...

Even with strong iPhone 5 debut in China, analysts downgrade AAPL, sending shares below $500

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated April 14, 2018

Is the glass half-full, or half-empty? Apparently, when it comes to Apple's stock, financial analysts in Europe and Asia are born pessimists. After Citigroup Sunday downgraded the iPhone maker's stock from Buy to Neutral, shares fell below $497 in pre-market trading Monday. This after closing Friday at nearly $510. Analysts appear to have discounted the equally-positive news this morning that Apple's two million iPhone 5 in three days in China broke a record...

Apple: China iPhone 5 sales top 2 million during opening weekend

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 14, 2018

Apple's stock price fell to a 10-month low on Friday on the back of analysts' reports that Apple has been cutting supply orders to balance out excess inventory, and a reportedly quiet iPhone 5 launch in mainland China.

But apparently analysts weren't talking to the right sources. This morning, Apple announced that it has sold over 2 million iPhone 5 in China, setting a new record with the best first weekend sales ever in the country...

Here’s why AAPL hit 10-month low today

Ed Sutherland ∙ December 14, 2012

China's influence over Apple's financial health is growing. In fiscal 2011, the country accounted for sixteen percent of Apple's revenues. But is Apple's growth in China sustainable?

Friday, two analyst reduce forecasts amid what one described as a 'muted' response to today's iPhone 5 release in the world's largest market. As a result, Apple shares fell 3.9 percent to a ten-month low.

The decline also hurt a number of Apple's suppliers as the firm is thought to be cutting orders in order "to balance excess inventory". For example, Broadcom is down 3.13 percent and Qualcomm dropped 4.7 percent.

As a result, Jefferies analyst Peter Misek cut his iPhone shipment estimate for the first three months of 2013 to 48 million, down from 52 million. He also trimmed Apple's expected gross profit margin to 40 percent, down two percentage points...

Patent Race: China ahead in filings, but US leads active inventions

Ed Sutherland ∙ December 14, 2012

As we head into 2013, patents - along with the legal fight to enforce and protect them - is becoming a larger part of tech companies. Just ask Apple and Samsung. Where should we look for the next patent to appear? A good bet is China, which in 2011 filed for more than 500,000 technology related patents in 2011, topping the United States. According to the United Nations, China applied for 526,412 patents last year, more than the US with 500,000 and Japan's more than 300,000 applications...

iPhone 5 hits China to reclaim Apple’s lost market share

Christian Zibreg ∙ December 13, 2012

Following the iPad mini's debut in China a week earlier and the iPhone 5 arrival in South Korea, Apple today like a clockwork started sales of the iPhone 5 in China. While the handset is scheduled to launch in an additional 31 markets on Friday, including Russia, China is the top priority. Home to population of 1.33 billion people, China is a huge opportunity for the California-based company.

The company has only a few stores in China, but the country now accounts for fifteen percent of Apple's fiscal 2011 revenue, second only to US.

Monday, China Unicom announced more than 300,000 pre-orders for the device and rival China Telecom is thought to have similar figures. Unfortunately, China Mobile, the largest carrier in the world, will once again be sitting on the sidelines, thought its president is adamant that the iPhone deal is in the works.

Hopefully the iPhone 5 launch in China will help recover some of market share losses Apple suffered during the third quarter over an avalanche of inexpensive Android handsets and local brands...

Amazon opens Kindle store in China with iOS and Android apps

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

When it comes to China, much of the conversation centers on smartphones and tablets. Amazon is attempting to change that picture, opening a Kindle store to compete against home-grown e-book companies. One problem: there isn't a Chinese-language Kindle available, yet.

So, Amazon, which competes against Apple, is offering iOS e-reading applications, as well as versions for Android devices. Although Chinese regulators approved the Kindle Touch and Kindle Fire in June, Amazon is still working on content deals with Chinese publishers.

Apparently, the aim of the store is to establish the Amazon Kindle brand name. Local e-commerce giant China Dangdang has offered ebooks since 2011, building a library of 100,000 titles, reports say...

China Unicom surpasses 300,000 iPhone 5 pre-orders

Cody Lee ∙ December 11, 2012

The iPhone 5 doesn't officially launch in China until the 14th, but sales of the handset are believed to already be well past half a million. Two of the countries largest carriers have been taking pre-orders for weeks now, and there appears to be a lot of interest.

China Unicom, for example, just announced that it has fielded more than 300,000 iPhone 5 reservations during its first week of pre-sales. And China Telecom is said to have similar figures. So needless to say, experts are planning for a big launch this Friday...

Apple slips to sixth place in China smartphone market

Ed Sutherland ∙ December 7, 2012

Apple's standing in the growing China smartphone market has taken another hit, slipping to #6 during the third quarter, research firm IDC announced Thursday. The drop comes as the iPhone maker faces concerns its iPhone could lose ground to other smartphone makers, such as Samsung and Nokia, whose handsets cover a wider range of price points. Apple share of smartphones shipped to China fell below ten percent during the quarter, a drop which coincides with Chinese smartphone shipments topping 60 million handsets, a new high...