The Wall Street Journal reports that Apple has received certification to sell the 3G iPad 2 in mainland China. Up until now, Apple has only been allowed to sell the Wi-Fi models of the iPad 2 in China.
According to China's Telecommunication Equipment Certification Center, a device by Apple with third-generation high-speed wireless data capabilities was issued the network access license needed for the company to begin official sales in China. The device, listed under model number "A1396," is compatible with the 3G standard WCDMA, and would work with the cellular network operated by Apple's local iPhone partner, China Unicom (Hong Kong) Ltd.
Model number A1396 is Apple's model number for the 3G iPad 2 that was released in the U.S. in March.
Separately, Penn Olson reported that Apple's official China site had listed 3G iPad 2s for sale for the first time yesterday (now removed). Shipping was listed as within 2 or 3 weeks. The site explains that Apple's 3G products are always slower to enter the Chinese market.
In related news, Apple officially confirmed that Apple's first Hong Kong retail store would be opening this quarter in the International Finance Center's IFC mall. Photos of the beginnings of the store have been sent in to us and other sites. Engadget China reports the store will open on September 24th.
Apple's rapid expansion in its Greater China market of China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan has been well documented with 6x year over year growth reported in July. At the time, now Apple CEO Tim Cook said they believe that Greater China is "a substantial opportunity for Apple and we're just scratching the surface."
Sunday October 12, 2025 7:05 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
Apple plans to announce new products "this week," according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.
Apple's "Mac Your Calendars" teaser last October
In his Power On newsletter today, Gurman said the products set to be updated this week include the iPad Pro, Vision Pro, and "likely" the base 14-inch MacBook Pro, with all three likely to receive a spec bump with Apple's next-generation M5 chip.
Gurman...
Saturday October 11, 2025 6:59 pm PDT by Joe Rossignol
Apple's software engineers are internally testing iOS 26.0.2, according to MacRumors logs, which have been a reliable indicator of upcoming iOS versions.
iOS 26.0.2 will likely be a minor update that addresses bugs and/or security vulnerabilities, but we do not know any specific details yet.
The update will likely be released within the next few weeks.
Last month, Apple released iOS...
Friday October 10, 2025 5:57 am PDT by Tim Hardwick
Update: the Naver account appears to be referencing a speculative post on X by Vadim Yuryev, dated October 6. The original article follows.
Apple will announce new products through a series of press releases beginning as soon as next week, according to a dubious claim posted on the Korean blog Naver.
The Naver blog account yeux1122, which aggregates rather than originates Apple...
Saturday October 11, 2025 10:10 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
While the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are still nearly a year away, a handful of new features and changes have already been rumored for the devices.
Below, we have recapped some of the early iPhone 18 Pro rumors so far.
Smaller Dynamic Island
The standard iPhone 18, iPhone 18 Pro, and iPhone 18 Pro Max will be equipped with a slightly smaller Dynamic Island, but the devices will...
Sunday October 12, 2025 9:24 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
After releasing AirPods Pro 3 last month, Apple is already working on the next AirPods Pro, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.
It is unclear if the new AirPods Pro would be branded as AirPods Pro 4, or if they would be considered an updated version of AirPods Pro 3. Gurman did not take a position, opting to describe them as a "new version" of the "high-end in-ear buds."
AirPods Pro 2...
Monday October 13, 2025 8:25 am PDT by Eric Slivka
Buried in its announcement about "F1: The Movie" making its streaming debut on December 12, Apple has also announced that Apple TV+ is being rebranded as simply Apple TV.
A single line near the end of the press release states "Apple TV+ is now simply Apple TV, with a vibrant new identity," though Apple's website has yet to be updated with any changes, so we're unsure on the details of the...
Wednesday October 8, 2025 12:30 pm PDT by Joe Rossignol
Apple's hardware engineering chief John Ternus remains the "leading contender" to become the company's next CEO, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.
Ternus is 50 years old, so he is still young enough to have a long run at the helm of Apple, after current CEO Tim Cook retires. He is already a key decision-maker at Apple, according to Gurman, and he appears to have a charismatic...
Friday October 10, 2025 1:18 pm PDT by Joe Rossignol
Apple is planning to release a base MacBook Pro with a standard M5 chip before higher-end models with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, according to AppleInsider's sources with "knowledge of macOS Tahoe development and hardware testing."
The report said a MacBook Pro with an M5 chip is "nearing release," and Apple has apparently been testing this model with an unreleased macOS 26.0.2 version....
Thursday October 9, 2025 7:00 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
While it is unclear if Apple will host an October event this year, or stick to press releases, rumors suggest it will announce several new products this month.
The graphic for Apple's "Unleashed" event in October 2021
Below, we have recapped everything to know about a potential Apple event this October.
When
The table below outlines when Apple teased its October launches over the past...
They had to wait for Steve to demission before opening a store in HK accompanied with such an un-apple sharp red color banner...
Well red is a VERY auspicious colour in Hong Kong, and I think they are just responding to what people like, so it makes sense. It's not that un-Apple when you think about it, they've just changed the colour!
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Apple is officially ending its ignorance of Hong Kong for decades :-) Hong Kong people can finally enjoy customer service which is up to Apple's standard instead of being transferred to some random third party "authorized" repairer....:D
Amen! It's been a long time!
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Good news for Apples bank account, it's nice hearing about their continued growth in that market, despite the black market of copies and cloned iOS devices.
Just wished this news also included information about an iPad 3, but I can always have wishful thinking! ;)
They're probably thinking: 'If we don't go to China, the fakes will!', so it's a way of dealing with it!
Apple is officially ending its ignorance of Hong Kong for decades :-) Hong Kong people can finally enjoy customer service which is up to Apple's standard instead of being transferred to some random third party "authorized" repairer....:D
Sorry but i need to point this out, Hong kong is'nt China. Hong kong is'nt part of China anymore. In Hong kong they don't speak Mandarin, they speak Cantonese. In Hong kong they dont have Chinese yuan (renminbi), they use Hong kong dollar..
Hong Kong isn't China, but it is a part of China. It has been since 1997.
The fact that a different dialect used does not matter; there are hundreds of dialects spoken withiin mainland China.
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The fact that it has different administration is irrelevant.
No it's extremely relevant. The Hong Kong SAR is more than just a label. Virtually everything is separate from mainland China; the economy, the political system, laws and regulations, government infrastructure, flag, etc. About the only thing they share is a national defense. You do have to go through border patrol to get between Hong Kong and mainland China.
Good news for Apples bank account, it's nice hearing about their continued growth in that market, despite the black market of copies and cloned iOS devices.
Just wished this news also included information about an iPad 3, but I can always have wishful thinking! ;)
