China

China Mobile’s claimed iPhone 6 specs: waterproof, dustproof, sapphire-protected and more

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated April 2, 2017

Having started taking pre-orders for Apple's unreleased and still unofficial iPhone 6 a good five days ago, carrier China Mobile has now posted to its official website what it claims are official hardware specifications of the 4.7-inch version of the handset, GforGames reported Monday afternoon.

Some of the more surprising hardware and design features of the handset reportedly include water and dust-resistance and sapphire protection for the display, allowing for a virtually unbreakable device.

However, it's impossible to determine whether China Mobile is making an educated guess or if the firm is in fact relaying Apple-sanctioned information. In case of the former, China Mobile could easily get reprimanded for leaking out its partner's secrets ahead of tomorrow's big reveal.

This tidbit comes after rival China Telecom said recently that a single iPhone 6 model supports all the major wireless standards in the 1.33 billion people market.

In a not-so-smart PR stunt, their post was accompanied by a set of pretty iPhone 6 renderings which creators Tomas Moyano and Nicolàs Aichino posted on Bēhance. It's worth keeping in mind that China Mobile is the world's largest mobile operator by market capitalization, its subscriber base dwarfing AT&T and Verizon combined.

China Telecom says single iPhone 6 will support China’s major wireless standards

Christian Zibreg ∙ August 22, 2014

China Telecom has made the claim in a Weibo post which was accompanied by a pair of images based on the familiar iPhone 6 renderings created by Tomas Moyano and Nicolàs Aichino and posted on Bēhance.

The post apparently advertises that an iPhone 6 flavor it plans on selling in the 1.33 billion people market will support all of China's cellular network standards.

Have a look at the images included after the break and meet us in comments.

iPads and MacBooks can’t be bought with China’s public money over espionage concerns

Christian Zibreg ∙ August 6, 2014

First Russian, and now China. Just as news hit us a week ago that the Russian government is demanding access to the source code for Apple software to ensure it isn't enabling U.S. intelligence agencies to spy on the 145 million country, Bloomberg Wednesday reported that the Chinese government has taken Apple's iPad tablets and MacBook notebooks off the procurement list.

As a result, no government agency in China is allowed to buy Apple products with public money.

While government purchases are not a major sales driver for Apple, it's worth remembering that China is home to 1.33 billion people and filing as Apple's third-biggest market by revenue...

Can’t wait for the official iPhone 6? Here come the clones!

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated April 2, 2017

If the very thought of waiting until September when Apple is expected to formally announce its next iPhone is making you nervous and edgy because you simply need an iPhone 6 now, your best bet is one of the iPhone 6 knock-offs that are now cropping up all over the place in China.

Granted, it's easy to make the argument that Apple should send its legal sharks after China's well-versed knock-off makers and put a stop to them.

However, these iPhone 6 lookalikes are already here and not really going anywhere, as is limned in a pair of videos embedded right after the break...

Apple responds to Chinese media warning against iPhone location tracking

Cody Lee ∙ July 13, 2014

Last week, China's state-run China Central Television broadcasted a report that labeled the iPhone as a "national security concern." More specifically, the CCTV criticized the “frequent locations” function in iOS 7, which records time and location for the owner’s movements.

Yesterday, Apple issued an official response to the report on its Chinese website. The statement reaffirms the company's commitment to privacy, and states that the Location Services found in the iOS firmware are only used to help users for activities that require navigation...

For China, the iPhone location tracking feature is a “national security concern”

Sébastien Page ∙ July 11, 2014

The WSJ is out this morning with a piece based on a report recently broadcasted on the state-run China Central Television, quoting the iPhone location tracking feature as a "national security concern." Nevermind the fact that you can turn off the feature.

As the largest market, one that is greatly untapped, China is a big bet for Apple, and just about any other company. With 6% of the Chinese smartphone market share, Apple is trailing behind the competition, most notably, Samsung, and Xiaomi, but it didn't stop the Chinese broadcaster to make Apple the main target...

Beijing ruling spells trouble for Apple’s Siri in China

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 9, 2014

Apple's ability to use Siri as a competitive weapon in the 1.33 billion people market of China - its second-largest market by revenue - could be compromised. A Beijing court has now ruled against Apple by upholding the validity of a patent related to the personal assistant feature held by a Chinese company called Zhizhen Network Technology.

The ruling clears the way for Zhizhen to continue its own case patent infringement case against Apple. Specifically, the Shanghai-based firm is now asking the court to block Apple from selling devices with Siri installed. The iPhone maker is of course expected to appeal the verdict...

Apple gets help from Chinese authorities to fight iPhone 6 leaks

Joe Rossignol ∙ Updated April 17, 2018

There has been an abundance of iPhone 6 rumors and leaks over the past several months, ranging from alleged photos of the back cover and backlight panels to 3D printed mockup models and purported cases for the 5.5-inch smartphone. But the leaked information could be coming to a halt, as the well-connected Sonny Dickson tweets that Apple has enlisted the help of 200 security officers in China to catch anyone suspected of selling iPhone 6 accessories…

New report says iPhone 6 likely to feature NFC for future mobile payment service

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 28, 2019

According to a new report, the incoming iPhone 6 is going to feature support for NFC technology (or near field communications). Citing sources 'close to the matter,' New York news outlet Brightwire says Apple is planning to utilize the wireless tech in a future mobile payment system.

In fact, Brightwire claims that Tim Cook and company have already inked a deal with China UnionPay service. And under that deal, users will be able to make mobile payments on over 3 million China UnionPay 'QuickPass' POS machines in the country using Passbook on their iPhones...

China Mobile iPhone sales boosting App Store downloads in China, pushing revenue up 70 percent

Jake Smith ∙ Updated October 13, 2018

App Store downloads and sales have risen vastly in China, following the deal between Apple and China Mobile to launch the iPhone on the world's-largest carrier during the first quarter of 2014.

Research website App Annie found in a report released Tuesday morning that China was the key market for iOS App Store growth during the first quarter of 2014, boosting revenue on the China App Store up around 70 percent compared to the fourth quarter of 2013.

Apple launches TD-LTE capable iPad Air and iPad mini with Retina display in China

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated April 14, 2018

Do you remember these two new iPad models that were discovered following the recent release of iOS 7.1? At the time, we speculated that these were likely releases for future versions of the iPad in China – and we were right.

Apple just announced the launch of TD-LTE iPad Air and iPad mini with Retina display models, bringing high-speed performances to its customers in China...

China Mobile sells one million iPhones in February

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 28, 2017

China Mobile with its 776 million customers is the world's largest wireless carrier by subscribers and it's been selling Apple's iPhone for two months now. So how many iPhone units did the carrier move?

According to media reports Wednesday, China Mobile's CEO Li Yue has confirmed that his company has managed to add one million new iPhone users last month since offering the device in mid-January.

To give you some context, that's a nice 75 percent share of the 1.34 million 4G-capable smartphones the carrier moved in February...