China

Rumor: 3 New 3rd Generation iPhones Coming This Summer

By Rene Ritchie, Monday, Apr 13, 2009 a 7:42 am

Commercial Times is raising the bar on crazy rumors by claiming Apple will release not just one, not even two, but a whopping three new iPhones this summer.

First would be the next-generation iPhone previous rumors have pointed to, with beefed up processors and features like the camera.

$200 iTunes Gift Cards on Sale for $2.60 (Ok, Not Really...)

By Jeremy, Tuesday, Mar 10, 2009 a 2:57 pm

Ok, well Apple is really not selling $200 iTunes gift cards for only $2.60 so keep dreaming. But according to Music Ally Chinese "pirates" have hacked the algorithm that generates the iTunes gift cards and so now fake cards are flooding the market for as low as $2.60 in China. When we say flooding we literally mean flooding the Chinese market:

Apparently six months ago, a $200 card went for around 320 RMB (roughly $47), but the price has since plummeted to around 18 RMB ($2.60) as more sellers pile in.

China Mobile and Apple Rumble over App Store

By Rene Ritchie, Wednesday, Feb 11, 2009 a 7:40 am

Aiya! There's still no iPhone officially available in the world's most populous country, the People's Republic of China. Sure, Apple actually sells unlocked iPhones in Hong Kong and Taiwan in an attempt to lure the most affluent Chinese customers to their platform -- and lets not forget the monstrous iPhone 2G black market -- but absent homegrown carrier subsidies and support, it will never attain most-favored device status.

Rumor: iPhone Nano Coming in June... But NOT to the USA?

By Rene Ritchie, Tuesday, Jan 13, 2009 a 10:52 am

We're still considering these iPhone nano rumors to be way over on the far side of fetched, by they just keep on keeping on, so here's the latest (via MacRumors):

iPhone 3G in China: Minus the 3G and WiFi... Aiya!?

By Jeremy, Friday, Sep 26, 2008 a 10:55 am

If this is not bizarre, I don't know what is. Customers looking to purchase a iPhone 3G in China will soon be able to do so. Just a little catch though, minus the 3G and toss in the omission of WiFi.

China Mobile does not have a 3G network so I understand them asking Apple to disable 3G but going a step further asking to disabling WiFi as well?! That leaves all of the owners of the iPhone 3G (don't forget to take away that 3G) with a slow 2G data connection. China Mobile might as well sell the iPhone 3G as a very nice paperweight to all of their customers. Exactly why China Mobile would disable WiFi is way beyond me.

iPhone Risk: China Mobile Back in the Mix?

By Rene Ritchie, Monday, Jun 30, 2008 a 10:55 am

If it's a day that ends in a "y", then its likely the status of the Apple / China Mobile talks has changed! On again/off again seems to be on again, with reports now saying the obstacles have been hurdled, the chasm bridged, the bamboo curtain rolled up to let in some sun.

But can China Mobile beat competitor China Unicom, or even the massive gray market, to the punch?

Only time, and probably a bazillion more flip flops, will tell.

iPhone Risk: Chinese Connection Come August?

By Rene Ritchie, Friday, Jun 20, 2008 a 2:31 pm

China might just be getting itself some iPhones! Oh, sure, there are already tons of iPhones in China -- almost a cottage industry of them -- but this time we're talking official from Apple, no unlock needed, spiffy new iPhone 3Gs. In China.

Not from China Mobile, who's off again, off again relationship with Apple is well documented, but from competitor China Unicom. Maybe even by August!

Hen Hao!

Unlocked iPhones All Over Hong Kong

By Dieter Bohn, Tuesday, Mar 18, 2008 a 10:20 am

During our last regularly scheduled podcast, we received an dispatch from Hong Kong written by one Janric. We already knew that there were somewhere in the neighborhood of 400,000 unlocked iPhones in China alone, and Janric confirmed that you can't walk down a Hong Kong alley without tripping over somebody that has one: