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! ;)
Thursday April 21, 2022 1:14 pm PDT by Juli Clover
Samsung recently introduced the M8, a new 32-inch 4K display that's priced at $700, making it less than half as expensive as the Studio Display from Apple. We picked up one of the displays and thought we'd compare it to the Studio Display in our latest YouTube video to see how it performs and whether you can save some money by going with a cheaper option.
Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube ...
Thursday April 21, 2022 10:30 am PDT by Juli Clover
Apple today announced in a support document that macOS Server is being discontinued as of April 21, 2022. Apple has been phasing out macOS Server for several years now, and the company is finally ready to shut it down for good.
macOS Server 5.12.2 will be the last version of the app, and macOS Server services have now been migrated to macOS. Popular macOS Server capabilities that include...
Members of the European Parliament this week voted overwhelmingly in support of legislation that will compel Apple to offer a USB-C port on all iPhones, iPads, and AirPods in Europe.
The proposal, known as a directive, will force all consumer electronics manufacturers who sell devices in Europe to ensure that all new phones, tablets, laptops, digital cameras, headphones, headsets, handheld...
All four iPhone 14 models that are expected to launch later this year will likely feature an upgraded front camera with autofocus and a wider ƒ/1.9 aperture, well-known Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said in a tweet today.
The wider aperture would allow more light to pass through the lens and reach the front camera's sensor on iPhone 14 models. Kuo said these camera upgrades could result in an...
Wednesday April 20, 2022 7:34 am PDT by Sami Fathi
Apple must compensate a Brazilian customer who recently purchased an iPhone for selling the device without a charger included in the box, which violates consumer law, a judge has ruled.
Apple's decision to remove the charger in the box sparked controversy in 2020. Apple claims the move is for environmental reasons, claiming the decision is equivalent to removing nearly 450,000 cars from the...
The iPhone 14 Pro could feature significantly rounder corners to match the larger rear camera array, according to Apple concept graphic renderer Ian Zelbo.
Zelbo, who is best known for creating renders of upcoming Apple devices based on leaked information, including the Mac Studio, Studio Display, rumored mixed-reality headset, and more, believes that the iPhone 14 Pro models are likely to...
Thursday April 21, 2022 4:38 am PDT by Tim Hardwick
Transcend has announced a 1TB version of its JetDrive Lite 330 expansion cards for 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models, providing users of Apple's latest Macs with an affordable way to increase internal storage capacity.
Transcend says the JetDrive Lite 330 cards are built with high-quality NAND flash, offering read and write speeds of up to 95MB/s and 75MB/s, respectively. Once the...
The Apple Cash virtual debit card appears to be switching networks from Discover to Visa, as revealed in some updated images on Apple's website and noted by Twitter user @Kanjo.
Since its launch, Apple Cash (originally known as Apple Pay Cash) has been operated through a partnership with Green Dot Bank on the Discover network. Discover is one of the smaller card networks and is accepted in...
Wednesday April 20, 2022 1:09 pm PDT by Juli Clover
Apple yesterday released a firmware update designed for the MagSafe Battery Pack, and it turns out the new firmware enables 7.5W charging while on the go, up from the previous 5W limit.
In an support document, Apple says that MagSafe Battery Pack owners can update their firmware to the new 2.7.b.0 release to get the faster 7.5W charging capabilities.
Updating the MagSafe Battery Pack can...
Apple on March 14 released iOS 15.4 and iPadOS 15.4, bringing Universal Control across iPad and Mac, support for Face ID while wearing a mask, new emojis, anti-stalking changes for AirTags, and more.
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! ;)