I previously wrote that Apple’s (Nasdaq: AAPL) plain-spoken CEO Tim Cook should consider buying a second home in China due to his frequent visits to the country, and the same could be said for Facebook’s (Nasdaq: FB) more brash founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg. While Cook’s frequent visits are quite official and include many stops at government and company offices, Zuckerberg has been far more low-key in his equally regular visits due to Facebook’s lack of official presence in the country where its website is formally blocked. But Zuckerberg wants desperately to find a way to enter the market, which explains his latest low-key appearance at an event this week in Beijing at Tsinghua University, China’s equivalent of MIT. Read Full Post…
Tag Archives: Apple
Apple’s Cook In China, Xiaomi Weighs India Production
Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) CEO Tim Cook should consider buying a second home in China, based on the growing frequency of his trips to the country since assuming his current title of the world’s biggest gadget maker 3 years ago. That’s my light-hearted suggestion, following reports that Cook is in China yet again after already paying a visit to the country earlier this year. Meantime, I might also suggest that Apple wannabe Xiaomi buy a few condos in India for its building presence in that market. In the latest headlines on that front, media are reporting that Xiaomi is eying India for its first major overseas manufacturing foray as it pushes heavily into the market. Read Full Post…
Cellphone Sales Tumble, As Mobile Ads Zoom
New sales data for August is showing that China’s cellphone market is rapidly cooling due to saturation, putting even more pressure on domestic brands that have engaged in a battle for share that has resulted in plummeting prices. At the same time, a separate report is showing that mobile advertising is zooming, in a development that’s almost certain to mean big headaches for companies like Baidu (Nasdaq: BIDU) and Sina (Nasdaq: SINA) that depend heavily on advertisers that traditionally targeted desktop PC users. The pair of trends both cast a spotlight on how quickly things can change in the tech and media landscapes, putting huge pressure on established companies to innovate and spend heavily to translate their leadership into emerging areas. Read Full Post…
News Digest: October 21, 2014
The following press releases and media reports about Chinese companies were carried on October 21. To view a full article or story, click on the link next to the headline.
══════════════════════════════════════════════════════
- China’s M&A Watchdog Halves Time Taken To Approve Deals (English article)
- Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) In Talks With UnionPay, Other For Apple Pay In China (Chinese article)
- China Mobile (HKEx: 941) Reports Results For First 3 Quarters (HKEx announcement)
- Tesla (Nasdaq: TSLA) Tries Tmall, To Take Part In Single’s Day Promotion (Chinese article)
- SanPower Group Acquires Group Buying Site LaShou (Chinese article)
- Latest calendar for Q3 earnings reports (Earnings calendar)
Loyalty Boosts Apple In iPhone 6 Debut
Nearly a month after their global launch, Apple’s (Nasdaq: AAPL) latest iPhones are now formally on sale here in China. We’ll no doubt get flooded with numbers about initial sales in the next few days, some of which may be correct but many of which will probably be just guesses. One larger question that’s on everyone’s mind is promotions by the nation’s 3 telcos, as China Mobile (HKEx: 941; NYSE: CHL), China Unicom (HKEx: 762; NYSE: CHU) and China Telecom (HKEx: 728; NYSE: CHA), as all come under government pressure to cut back on their aggressive subsidies.
The early news looks relatively good for Apple on that front, with one media report saying the 3 telcos are mostly maintaining their aggressive iPhone subsidies from previous levels. We’ll examine that issue shortly, and whether it even matters much. But first let’s look at the bigger picture that had the iPhone 6 receive a relatively strong reception after it went on sale in China on Friday, 4 weeks after its global debut and 3 weeks after its Asia launch. Read Full Post…
News Digest: October 18-20, 2014
The following press releases and media reports about Chinese companies were carried on October 18-20. To view a full article or story, click on the link next to the headline.
══════════════════════════════════════════════════════
- Taiping, Sinopec (HKEx: 386) in $800 Mln Shanghai FTZ Financial Leasing JV (English article)
- Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) Looks for Big Screen Boost as iPhone 6 Hits China (English article)
- China’s Wanda Cinema Line Makes Fresh IPO Bid With Govt Regulator (English article)
- Warner Bros, Brett Ratner Cut Deal To Create Chinese Investment Fund (English article)
- Citic Securities (HKEx: 6030) Announces $3 Bln Medium-Term Note Program (HKEx announcement)
- Latest calendar for Q3 earnings reports (Earnings calendar)
Weibo: Xiaomi Hit By Apple’s Ive, Lifted By Qihoo’s Zhou
Publicity savvy smartphone maker Xiaomi was making awkward noises in the blogosphere this past week, as it found itself stinging from critical remarks made by a top executive at Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL), the company’s role model. At the same time, the company got an unexpected show of support from another source, as controversial Qihoo 360 (NYSE: QIHU) CEO Zhou Hongyi defended the smartphone maker over a different brouhaha involving involving an embarrassing data security investigation in Taiwan.
In separate news, TV giant TCL (Shenzhen: 000100) Chairman Li Dongsheng was talking up a potential electronic payments alliance, with word that his company is discussing a tie-up with UnionPay, operator of China’s leading electronic transactions network. Just last week I commended Li for taking some new risks a decade after 2 disastrous partnerships with European companies. But this latest chatter is starting to get a bit worrisome, as Li seems to be thinking in quite a few directions that are increasingly scattered and lack any common theme. Read Full Post…
iPhone Sales Buzz; EU, China Near Telecoms Deal
Several significant telecoms stories are buzzing through the headlines as China returns to work after a long holiday, led by news that iPhone sales have gotten off to a roaring start after initially hitting a regulatory roadblock in the world’s largest mobile market. Also of interest is word that China and the European Union are close to settling a long-running dispute that could give European networking equipment makers better access to the lucrative Chinese market. And finally there’s a bit of regulatory news that looks like a positive sign, showing China is trying to cut its vast bureaucracy to provide easier market access for makers of telecoms products. Read Full Post…
News Digest: October 9, 2014
The following press releases and media reports about Chinese companies were carried on October 9. To view a full article or story, click on the link next to the headline.
══════════════════════════════════════════════════════
- iPhone Orders To 3 China Telcos Top 1 Mln In First 6 Hours (Chinese article)
- China, EU Close To Deal On Telecoms Trade Dispute- Sources (English article)
- KFC (NYSE: YUM) China Same-Store Sales Fall 14 Pct In August (Chinese article)
- Alibaba-Distributed (NYSE: BABA) Game Mistake Exposes Private Videos (English article)
- Evergrande (HKEx: 3333) Invests In E Bon (HKEx: 599) In Solar Drive (Chinese article)
Cyber-Security Wars Pause With iPhone 6 Nod
So much has been written already about the sudden approval of the iPhone 6 in China, after several weeks of unexplained delays, that I thought I would focus on the broader implications of this surprise move in the ongoing war of words between the US and China over cyber security.
I praised iPhone maker Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) in August for emerging as a voice of reason in this war of words after it decided to use China-based servers for to store some of its local user data (previous post), and it seems like more praise is in order this time as well. Only this time the praise should go to Beijing, for finally taking a break from the cyber security war of words by realizing that companies like Apple are far more interested in doing business than engaging in cloak-and-dagger spying games. Read Full Post…
Intel Deal A Good Template For Chip Consolidation
A significant move of consolidation occurred in China’s fragmented microchip design sector last week, when global leader Intel (Nasdaq: INTC) purchased a strategic minority stake in a Chinese company formed through the recent combination of 2 midsized players. The step will bring together domestic smartphone chip designers RDA Microelectronics and Spreadtrum, with Intel’s huge financial resources, R&D muscle and global sales network. Read Full Post…
