Amazon Launches App Store In China
Amazon has beat Google to it in launching its Android Appstore in China. It is the first western company to offer a platform for Chinese users to download both free and paid apps. Currently Google Play store only offers free apps in China.
New Species of Dinosaur Discovered in China
A group of researchers from George Washington University have discovered a new species of carnivorous dinosaur in northwestern China. The Aorun zhaoi dinosaur, lived more than 161 million years ago. Named after the Dragon King of the Journey to the West.
Jonah Choiniere, one of the scientists who made the discovery said:
We were able to look at microscopic details of Aorun’s bones and they showed that the animal was less than a year old when it died on the banks of a stream. Essentially, the dinosaur was a baby when it died.
Apple Apologises To China
Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, issued a public apology to Chinese consumers for any “concerns or misunderstandings” they might have had due to poor communication over Apple’s warranty policies. Also he added that there is a need to boost communication with Chinese consumers and strengthen oversight of authorized resellers.
The apology from Apple came about after CCTV and People’s Daily, had led the charge against Apple. They accused Apple of arrogance, greed and “throwing its weight around” and portrayed it as just the latest Western company to exploit the Chinese consumer.
China Closing In On Internet Usage
The Chinese government issued new rules requiring all Internet users in China to provide their real names to service providers. And also assigning Internet companies greater responsibility for deleting forbidden postings and reporting them to the authorities.
There are 600 million users in China using the internet and critics believe the government is trying to limit freedom of speech.
Apple Sells 2 Million iPhone 5 In China In 3 Days
Apple started selling the new iPhone 5 in China last Friday. Apple has reported today that they sold more than 5 million iPhone 5 in China within 3 days. Apple has released this statement after the media speculated that the sales on Friday is slow due to a lack of queues at its stores.
New iPad Debut In China Without Much Fanfare
Apple launched the third generation new iPad in China today. It was unusually quiet launch in Beijing and Shanghai. Apple counters unruly crowds and scalpers by using a pre-sale reservation system.
The other reason for the low key debut is attributed to chinese able to buy the new iPad much earlier in Hong Kong.
Sales of Apple products in mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan increased threefold to $7.9 billion in the second quarter ended on March 31.
Chinese Spacecraft Docked With Orbiting Module
China’s spacecraft Shenzhou 9 capsule has docked with the Taingong 1 module. This was shown live on national television on Sunday to huge audiences. China’s space agency has send three-person crew that include female astronauts on the journey into space. The government has previously vowed to reach the moon and launch its own manned space station by 2020.
China Will Send Three Astronauts To Space
China will launch Shenzhou 9 with astronauts later in June to perform the country’s first manned space docking with the Tiangong 1 orbital module. China’s space agency will send three-person crew that may include female astronauts on the journey into space. The government has previously vowed to reach the moon and launch its own manned space station by 2020.
Apple Adding Baidu Search To iPhones In China
Apple is seeing the potential of millions of chinese using iPhone by adding Baidu search to the iPhones sold in China. Baidu is the largest search engine in China, handling approximately 80% of internet search queries. This partnership could boost business for both companies in that market.
In recent news, Apple is starting to move away from Google with the removal of Google Map from iOS 6.
Apple Fights Back China Workers Abused Claim
The Apple iPad has just turned 2 on 27 February 2012 and the tablet sold more than 300,000 units in 24 hours when it first launched. Apple now sold 15.4 million of iPads during the last quarter of 2011. The media are now heating up the claim that the iPad comes with a human cost for factory workers in China.
Tim Cook, CEO of Apple has hit back the claims saying:
We care about every worker in our worldwide supply chain. Any accident is deeply troubling, and any issue with working conditions is cause for concern. Any suggestion that we don’t care is patently false and offensive to us. As you know better than anyone, accusations like these are contrary to our values. It’s not who we are. For the many hundreds of you who are based at our suppliers’ manufacturing sites around the world, or spend long stretches working there away from your families, I know you are as outraged by this as I am. Every year we inspect more factories, raising the bar for our partners and going deeper into the supply chain. We’ve made a great deal of progress and improved conditions for hundreds of thousands of workers. We know of no one in our industry doing as much as we are, in as many places, touching as many people. We are attacking problems aggressively with the help of the world’s foremost authorities on safety, the environment, and fair labour. We will continue to dig deeper, and we will undoubtedly find more issues. What we will not do and never have done is stand still or turn a blind eye to problems in our supply chain. On this you have my word.
This week the Tim Cook has informed employees that later this year they will be able to buy an iPad with a $250 discount, while Macs will be available for $500 discount.
