Everything china
Search giant Baidu owns roughly 87% of of the huge Chinese market, and according to rumors, Apple could be planning to add support for their service to a future version of iOS. Sina Tech is reporting that, according to their "knowledgable sources", Baidu integration could come as early as next month.
A recent study by Flurry Analytics shows that China the fastest-growing market for iOS and Android app activity; between Q1 2011 and Q1 2012, app sessions have increased 1126%. Yowza.
If you though the iPhone was big in China, think again. Gartner says that despite landing a deal with China Telecom, Apple has only a third of Samsung's smartphone market share. Samsung currently holds 24.3%, while Apple currently commands 7.5% of Chinese smartphone owners.
Fake iPhones are starting to become a common sight on the streets of New York as criminals look to cash in on the huge demand for the latest Apple device.
The other night, ABC's Nightline got to investigate the humanitarian conditions of Apple's factories, and though there were certainly some interesting findings, there are a few details that Apple and Foxconn wanted to clarify.
Apple had to attend a court in China last night as it became embroiled in a battle over the rights to the iPad name in China. Proview, a company which has already filed for bankruptcy claims that Apple does not own the trademark for the iPad in China. Proview has already caused disruption to the sale of the iPad in China and is looking to gain a complete ban.
One of the Intermediate People's Courts in China's Guangdong province has decided that local distributors need to stop selling iPads because Proview had a previous claim to the name. Of course, the case still has to go to Shanghai, where Apple will make a concerted resistance.
Although Nightline reports that there are nets just about everywhere at Foxconn to catch anyone trying to commit suicide, depression is apparently not that common. The counseling center is sparsely used, and most of the workers were simply tired from their 10-to-12-hour shifts.
Apple has addressed concerns over the iPad trademark case brought by Proview that has recently had online retailers in China removing iPad's from their inventory. In a statement issued to China Daily, Apple asserts that Proview is simply not honoring the agreement in place.
Rene recently wrote an editorial about the current controversy surrounding Apple and the working conditions in the Chinese factories where Apple -- and almost every other consumer electronics company -- has their products made. It was a nice editorial, but I disagree with it completely. Well, almost completely. I do agree that it's an important issue and that the discussion is good. He took a position and argued it well, that China was the story, and Apple merely link-bait. And it's that position I disagree with.
