When the history books are written, “cybersecurity” will go down as one of the key buzzwords for Sino-US relations in 2014, following a nonstop war of accusations between Beijing and Washington. In the latest twist to this story, leading broadcaster CCTV is warning Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) fans to beware of security risks posed by data tracking functions on their iPhones. The implication seems to be that Apple is working closely with government spies in Washington to secretly collect data on the whereabouts of iPhone users throughout China. It’s not really clear why anyone would want such information, but that doesn’t seem to be important to CCTV. Read Full Post…
Tag Archives: Apple
News Digest: July 12-14
The following press releases and media reports about Chinese companies were carried on July 12-14. To view a full article or story, click on the link next to the headline.
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- Alibaba Estimates Own Market Value At $130 Bln (Chinese article)
- China’s Hony Capital Snaps Up Pizza Express For $1.6 Bln (English article)
- China’s 3 State-Owned Carriers Form Telecoms Tower Firm (English article)
- China State TV Says Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) iPhone Creates Security Concern (English article)
- Headphone Maker Beats Sues Chinese Counterfeiters For $135 Bln (English article)
Weibo: Xiaomi, Dangdang On New Long Marches
Cyberchatter over the past week was shining a spotlight on the huge task ahead for domestic Chinese smartphone makers, as they engage in cut-throat competition in their massive home market. A new survey posted by a top regional telecoms executive showed just how little loyalty Chinese customers feel towards most of the domestic brands, underscoring the fact that low prices are still their major attraction.
Meantime, fading e-commerce veteran Dangdang (NYSE: DANG) was also facing its own uphill battle, as its core online book business was reportedly on the cusp of being overtaken by much newer rival JD.com (Nasdaq: JD), China’s second largest player. True to his usual form, Dangdang’s talkative but short-sighted co-founder Li Guoqing was more focused on a new employee incentive plan than the looming negative milestone for a division that was once his company’s core business. Read Full Post…
Tesla Faces Costly Trademark Headache
After zooming into China with a slick publicity campaign earlier this year, electric car superstar Tesla (Nasdaq: TSLA) has run into a major new roadblock in one of its most promising markets over a trademark dispute. Tesla thought it had settled a matter that jumped into the headlines last summer as it was preparing to formally move into China. But apparently the trademark squatter who purchased the Tesla names in English and Chinese wasn’t satisfied, and has formally sued the company. Based on past cases, this one could be costly for Tesla, forcing it to pay tens or even hundreds of millions of dollars if it wants to reclaim its name in China. Read Full Post…
Xiaomi’s Sales Grow, Margins Contract
Smartphone sensation Xiaomi is wowing the world with impressive sales figures for the first half of the year that show it is well on the way to meeting its ambitious 2014 target, as it seeks to become the China version of Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL). But hidden in the latest figures are the less encouraging news that Xiaomi’s revenue grew far more slowly than unit sales of its flagship smartphones, meaning its prices fell sharply and probably so did its margins. That’s not too surprising considering the stiff competition in China’s smartphone market, where Xiaomi has to compete with well-funded homegrown rivals like Lenovo (HKEx: 992), Huawei, ZTE (HKEx: 763; Shenzhen: 000063) and Coolpad. Read Full Post…
News Digest: July 1, 2014
The following press releases and media reports about Chinese companies were carried on July 1. To view a full article or story, click on the link next to the headline.
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- Sex Video New Twist In GSK (London: GSK) China Bribery Scandal (English article)
- LeTV (Shenzhen: 300104) Wins Piracy Lawsuit Against Xiaomi Box (Chinese article)
- WeChat Accounts for 10 Pct Of JD.com (Nasdaq: JD) Book Sales (English article)
- Mobile Game Maker Ourgame (HKEx: 6899) Drops 17 Pct On Trading Debut (Chinese article)
- Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) Seeks Managers For Stores In 6 New Chinese Cities (English article)
Stumbling Apple Ramps Up China App Store
A couple of new headlines are highlighting Apple’s (Nasdaq: AAPL) lackluster performance in China in the first part of this year, as the smartphone pioneer falls behind homegrown sensation Xiaomi and takes much needed steps to improve its China App Store. In one of the reports, media are saying that Apple trailed Xiaomi for the first time in the first quarter of this year. Meantime, another report is saying that Apple is embarking on a major drive to recruit more China developers to make local apps for its iPhone, since a strong selection of good apps is key to maintaining its popularity in the market. Read Full Post…
News Digest: June 7-9, 2014
The following press releases and media reports about Chinese companies were carried on June 7-9. To view a full article or story, click on the link next to the headline.
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- COFCO Meat Brings in KKR, Baring PE, HOPU, Boyu as Strategic Investors (Businesswire)
- China Mobile (HKEx: 941) Rolls Out Own-Brand 4G Phone Selling For 999 Yuan (Chinese article)
- Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) Steps Up Campaign To Woo China Developers (English article)
- Xiaomi China Sales Surpass Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) In Q1 (Chinese article)
- Trina Solar (NYSE: TSL) Announces Pricing Of Offering Of 8.8 Mln ADSs (PRNewswire)
News Digest: June 6, 2014
The following press releases and media reports about Chinese companies were carried on June 6. To view a full article or story, click on the link next to the headline.
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- China Probes Baidu, Youku Tudou (NYSE: YOKU) Over Violent Shows -Xinhua (English article)
- SASAC Requires Telcos To Sharply Reduce Marketing Expenses – Reports (English article)
- Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL), Microsoft Targets Of Chinese Media In US Spat (English article)
- Alibaba Buys 50 Pct Of Evergrande Soccer Club For 1.2 Bln Yuan (Chinese article)
- Starbucks (Nasdaq: SBUX) In Education Investments To Develop Future China Leaders (Businesswire)
Smartphones: Apple Recycles, TCL Sales Soar
We’ll end the week with a couple of smartphone news bits, including reports that Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) is in talks to start a China-based recycling program and new data that show TCL’s (HKEx: 2618; Shenzhen: 000100) smartphone sales nearly tripled in the first 4 months of the year. Of the 2 news bits, Apple’s is most interesting not only because of its big name, but also because it shows the company is finally taking steps to boost its image as a good corporate citizen in China. TCL’s story looks interesting because it’s one of the few Chinese handset makers that derives the bulk of its smartphone revenue from overseas, which looks like a safer strategy due to the current state of overheated competition in the domestic market. Read Full Post…
News Digest: May 9, 2014
The following press releases and media reports about Chinese companies were carried on May 9. To view a full article or story, click on the link next to the headline.
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- Cheetah Mobile (NYSE: CMCM) Gains in Trading Debut After $168 Million IPO (English article)
- AgBank (HKEx: 1288) Plans to Raise $12.8 Bln In Capital (English article)
- Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) Says In Talks For Phone Recycling Program In China (Chinese article)
- TCL (HKEx: 2618) Says Smartphone Sales Tripled To 8.83 Mln Units In Jan-April (Chinese article)
- Yingli (NYSE: YGE) To Supply 30 MW PV Modules to Turkey’s Tekno Ray Solar (PRNewswire)
- Latest calendar for Q1 earnings reports (Earnings calendar)