China will reach an important milestone in the week ahead when it becomes included for the first time in the global launch for Apple’s (Nasdaq: AAPL) newest smartphone, the iPhone 5S. The move reflects the growing importance of China to Apple, which now counts the market as its second largest. China’s inclusion in the global launch also reflects an effort by Apple to try and win back local consumers, many of whom have recently abandoned the US tech giant due to long waits to get the latest iPhones and a series of negative media reports. Read Full Post…
I’m giving kudos today to China Telecom (HKEx: 728; NYSE: CHA) for finally doing what no other company has ever done before: getting China included in the upcoming global launch for Apple’s (Nasdaq: AAPL) newest iPhone. Meantime, China’s homegrown Apple wannabe Xiaomi is taking another page from its role model, with media reporting the fast-rising smartphone maker is preparing to launch its first tablet PC right around the same time of the global iPhone debut. Read Full Post…
The following press releases and media reports about Chinese companies were carried on September 5. To view a full article or story, click on the link next to the headline.
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It’s refreshing to see Lenovo’s (HKEx: 992) chatty CEO Yang Yuanqing finally doing something besides boasting about his big plans for the company, with word that he is donating a big chunk of his annual bonus to ordinary employees. I’m a bit too jaded to believe that Yang’s donation of $3 million is a purely selfless act, since he was quite willing to give the media a detailed account of his decision. Still, the latest news comes as a nice break from the usual chatter about new M&A targets and other global aspirations from one of China’s most successful tech firms. Read Full Post…
Perhaps struggling former global PC leader Hewlett-Packard (NYSE: HPQ) has finally straightened its house, or perhaps it senses that rival Lenovo (HKEx: 992) has become distracted with its recent push into smartphones. Whatever the reason, HP appears to be gearing up for a new push into China, with its announcement of a newly created China chairman position which is being filled with a tech industry veteran. Such a move implies an overhaul of HP’s China operations, and is certainly long overdue for a company whose share of China’s PC market has dropped sharply in the last few years. But the move also looks like too little too late, amid a global trend that has seen PC sales fall sharply due to the rising popularity of smaller devices like tablet PCs and smartphones. Read Full Post…
Up-and-coming smartphone maker Xiaomi’s recent campaign to distance itself from previous role model Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) is gaining momentum, with word that it’s preparing to launch a game console. Industry watchers will know that Xiaomi’s charismatic founder Lei Jun has enjoyed seeing his company compared to Apple for most of the last 2 years, and I suspect Lei also considers himself as the equivalent of a Chinese Steve Jobs. But with Jobs no longer in Apple’s life and Apple’s own fortunes plunging sharply in China this year, Lei seems to have suddenly lost interest in his former role model. Read Full Post…
The following press releases and media reports about Chinese companies were carried on August 24-26. To view a full article or story, click on the link next to the headline.
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Huawei, ZTE (HKEx: 763) Win Bulk Of China Mobile’s $3 Bln 4G Bonanza (English article)
Baidu (Nasdaq: BIDU) Invests In Renren’s (NYSE: RENN) Nuomi (PRNewswire)
Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) To Open 4th Shanghai Store Before Oct 1 Holiday – Report (Chinese article)
Electric Carmaker Tesla (Nasdaq: TSLA) Hits Roadblock In China Over Trademark (English article)
China Commerce Ministry Warns Auto Makers Over Price Monopoly (English article)
I’ve been saying for a while now that China’s booming smartphone market will undergo a major correction soon due to huge oversupply, and now we’re starting to see the first signs of stress from 2 major players. Among domestic manufacturers, media are reporting that struggling giant ZTE (HKEx: 763; Shenzhen: 000063) is preparing an overhaul of its handset business to improve its performance in China. Meantime, faded Taiwanese superstar HTC (Taipei: 2498) is also announcing its own major overhaul and making bold predictions about its plans to become a top player in China. Read Full Post…
Telecoms stalwart China Mobile (HKEx: 941; NYSE: CHL) and up-and-comer Xiaomi are creating new buzz in the sector these last few days, as speculation builds that the former may be near a long-awaited deal with Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) to finally offer the iPhone on its network. Meantime, Xiaomi is making headlines with word that it expects its revenue to double this year, following a strong reception for Hongmi, its latest smartphone that retails for just 799 yuan or about $130. Read Full Post…
The following press releases and media reports about Chinese companies were carried on August 16. To view a full article or story, click on the link next to the headline.
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China Could Target Oil Firms, Telecoms, Banks In Price Probes: Report (English article)
We’ve been reading all year about how China is set to overtake the US to become the world’s largest smartphone market in 2013, and now we’re seeing some numbers that tell the story more vividly. The latest figures on China’s smartphone market show Apple’s (Nasdaq: AAPL) position slumping in the second quarter, as sales have surged for a field of domestic players cranking out millions of cheap models, many selling for less than 1,000 yuan ($160 )each. Up-and-coming smartphone maker Xiaomi entered that part of the market just 2 weeks ago with its introduction of the Hongmi, which retails for just 799 yuan. (previous post) Read Full Post…
