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."
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! ;)
Wednesday April 17, 2024 9:58 am PDT by Juli Clover
Game emulator apps have come and gone since Apple announced App Store support for them on April 5, but now popular game emulator Delta from developer Riley Testut is available for download. Testut is known as the developer behind GBA4iOS, an open-source emulator that was available for a brief time more than a decade ago. GBA4iOS led to Delta, an emulator that has been available outside of...
Tuesday April 16, 2024 6:54 am PDT by Tim Hardwick
Last September, Apple's iPhone 15 Pro models debuted with a new customizable Action button, offering faster access to a handful of functions, as well as the ability to assign Shortcuts. Apple is poised to include the feature on all upcoming iPhone 16 models, so we asked iPhone 15 Pro users what their experience has been with the additional button so far. The Action button replaces the switch ...
Wednesday April 17, 2024 12:19 pm PDT by Juli Clover
A decade ago, developer Riley Testut released the GBA4iOS emulator for iOS, and since it was against the rules at the time, Apple put a stop to downloads. Emulators have been a violation of the App Store rules for years, but that changed on April 5 when Apple suddenly reversed course and said that it was allowing retro game emulators on the App Store. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel ...
Tuesday April 16, 2024 11:33 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
The first approved Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) emulator for the iPhone and iPad was made available on the App Store today following Apple's rule change. The emulator is called Bimmy, and it was developed by Tom Salvo. On the App Store, Bimmy is described as a tool for testing and playing public domain/"homebrew" games created for the NES, but the app allows you to load ROMs for any...
The lead developer of the multi-emulator app Provenance has told iMore that his team is working towards releasing the app on the App Store, but he did not provide a timeframe. Provenance is a frontend for many existing emulators, and it would allow iPhone and Apple TV users to emulate games released for a wide variety of classic game consoles, including the original PlayStation, GameCube, Wii,...
Top Rated Comments
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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Amen! It's been a long time!
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They're probably thinking: 'If we don't go to China, the fakes will!', so it's a way of dealing with it!
According to my local phone company, there are three compatible (read: there's a working roaming agreement) WCDMA networks in Hong Kong.
Having said that, the article is about mainland China. I'm not sure why (Hong Kong) is listed in the quote.
The fact that a different dialect used does not matter; there are hundreds of dialects spoken withiin mainland China.
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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.
Just wished this news also included information about an iPad 3, but I can always have wishful thinking! ;)