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ITC Rules Against Apple in Motorola Patent Case [Mac Blog]
Jan 14, 12:32AM
In a preliminary ruling (PDF) today, the ITC ruled that Motorola's smartphones do not violate the Apple patents at issue, though the decision still needs to be approved by the full six-member ITC panel. On this date, the ALJ issued an initial determination on violation of Section 337 and recommended determination on remedy and bond in the above-referenced investigation. It is held that no violation of section 337 of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended, 19 U.S.C. § 1337, has occurred in the importation into the United States, the sale for importation, or the sale within the United States after importation of certain mobile devices and related software by reason of infringement of one or more of Claims 1, 2, 10, 11, 24-26, and 29 U.S. Patent No. 7,812,828 ("the '828 Patent"), claims 1-7 and 10 of U.S. Patent No. 7,663,607 ("the '607 Patent"), and claims 1, 3, and 5 ofthe U.S. Patent No. 5,379,430 ("the '430 Patent").The case goes back to November 2010, when the International Trade Commission agreed to investigate Apple's claims of patent infringement lodged against Motorola.
iPad 3 with LTE, Quad-Core Processor and Retina Display Set for March Launch
Jan 13, 9:09PM
Bloomberg briefly reports that Apple's manufacturing partners have indeed begun on production of the iPad 3, with a ramp-up to full capacity taking place by February ahead of a March launch for the device. The report corroborates circulating rumors that the iPad will offer a quad-core processor and sport a high-resolution "Retina" display. The iPad 3 is also said to offer 4G LTE support for faster data connectivity on the go.
Apple Inc. (AAPL)'s next iPad tablet, due in March, will sport a high-definition screen, run a faster processor and work with long-term evolution wireless networks, according to three people familiar with the product. [...]Japanese blog Macotakara reported nearly identical information earlier this week.
The tablet will use a quad-core chip, an enhancement that lets users more quickly jump between applications, two of the people said.
Rumors have been split on whether the iPad 3 will be slightly thicker, thinner, or the same form factor as the iPad 2, with those rumors apparently depending on whether Apple has been able to adopt Sharp's IGZO technology that would allow for a thinner display. While some sources have indicated that Sharp's displays are making the cut for the iPad 3, others have claimed that Sharp failed to win approval from Apple and that a slightly thicker form factor may be required to accommodate a dual light bar design to support the high-resolution IPS display from Samsung and LG.
Update: Bloomberg has now updated its article with additional information on the new features:
Apple is bringing LTE to the iPad before the iPhone because the tablet has a bigger battery and can better support the power requirements of the newer technology, said one of the people.Sources note that Foxconn's factories will be running 24 hours a day to produce the iPad 3, with a break later this month for the Lunar New Year holiday being followed by an acceleration to full capacity in February.
The new display is capable of greater resolution than the current iPad, with more pixels on its screen than some high- definition televisions, the person said. The pixels are small enough to make the images look like printed material, according to the person. Videos begin playing almost instantly because of the additional graphics processing, the person said.
iTunes Store Adds Pop-Up Windows for Quick Access to Content Details and Previews
Jan 13, 8:46PM
Italian site iSpazio notes [Google translation] that Apple has made a small but helpful tweak to the iTunes Store when accessed from a computer, now allowing users to access information on content such as songs, albums, videos, apps, and books via a pop-up window rather than needing to click through to a separate page within the store. The new option, which appears in most locations within the store as a small "info" button in the lower right corner of the content's icon when the user hovers over the item, is available on both main iTunes Store and App Store feature pages as well as in search results.
The pop-up windows offer different content depending on which area of the store the user is in, with music, books, and podcasts offering a description of the selected item. In the App Store, the pop-up windows contain multiple tabs with each item's description, reviews, and iPhone and iPad screenshots. Users can also easily purchase the items from their respective pop-up windows.
Finally, movies and TV shows display a small "play" icon instead of the "info" icon, and immediately pop up a window with a video preview and details on each item.
Sculley: Newton Laid the Groundwork for the Today's Mobile Industry [iOS Blog]
Jan 13, 8:24PM
In a wide-ranging interview with the BBC, former Apple CEO John Sculley was asked about Jobs killing off the Newton, and what he thought of the product in retrospect. Sculley admitted that the Newton was "clearly too ambitious" but nailed "many of the concepts."
Perhaps most importantly, Sculley points out that Apple had to develop a new type of microprocessor to power the Newton, co-founding a company called ARM Holdings. Processors based on those developed for the Newton now power most of the smartphones and tablets in the world.
Well the facts are that we had to create a new microprocessor for the Newton as there was no low-powered microprocessor that could handle object orientated programming.Sculley is clearly proud of the fact that even though the Newton failed, the technology behind it succeeded.
So when we were creating Newton we also co-founded a company called Arm.
Apple owned 47% of it, Olivetti owned 47% and the founder Hermann Hauser owned the rest.
Arm not only was the key technology behind the Newton but it eventually became the key technology behind every mobile device in the world today including the iPhone and the iPad.
In the interview, Sculley also discusses Walter Isaacson's biography of Jobs, which he says he hasn't read; his and Jobs' relationship; what he's up to these days, including a large investment in social health company Audax Health; and what he thinks of a possible Apple television.
(Image courtesy Flickr/Ivan Bandura)
Tim Cook's Email to Apple Staff Regarding Supplier Responsibility Report
Jan 13, 7:45PM
Earlier today, Apple released its 2012 Supplier Responsibility Progress Report, an annual report that was supplemented for the first time by a public list of over 150 companies that supply components and manufacturing services to the company. As related by French site MacGeneration, Apple CEO Tim Cook sent the following email to company employees today addressing the developments on the supplier responsibility front:
Team,Today has been a busy day on the environmental responsibility and worker rights fronts for Apple, with the company also announcing a partnership with the Fair Labor Association to monitor conditions at suppliers' facilities and an expanded recycling program in the UK, Germany, and France. News also surfaced today regarding Apple's efforts to transition to halogen-free power and USB cables for its products.
We've just released our sixth annual update on conditions in Apple's supply chain, and I want to personally share some of the results with you.
We insist that our manufacturing partners follow Apple's strict code of conduct, and to make sure they do, the Supplier Responsibility team led more than 200 audits at facilities throughout our supply chain last year. These audits make sure that working conditions are safe and just, and if a manufacturer won't live up to our standards, we stop working with them.
Thanks to our supplier responsibility program, we've seen dramatic improvements in hiring practices by our suppliers. To prevent the use of underage labor, our team interviews workers, checks employment records and audits the age verification systems our suppliers use. These efforts have been very successful and, as a result, cases of underage labor were down sharply from last year. We found no underage workers at our final assembly suppliers, and we will not rest until the number is zero everywhere.
We've also used our influence to substantially improve living conditions for the people who make our products. Apple set a new standard for suppliers who offer employee housing, to ensure that dormitories are comfortable and safe. To meet our requirements, many suppliers have renovated their dorms or built new ones altogether.
Finding and correcting problems is not enough. Our team has built an ambitious training program to educate workers about Apple's code of conduct, workers' rights, and occupational health and safety. More than one million people know about these rights because they went to work for an Apple supplier. Additionally, Apple offers continuing education programs free of charge at many manufacturing sites in China. More than 60,000 workers have enrolled in classes to learn business, entrepreneurial skills or English.
Finally, we are taking a big step today toward greater transparency and independent oversight of our supply chain by joining the Fair Labor Association. The FLA is a leading nonprofit organization dedicated to improving conditions for workers around the world, and we are the first technology company they've approved for membership. The FLA's auditing team will have direct access to our supply chain and they will report their findings independently on their website.
No one in our industry is driving improvements for workers the way Apple is today. I encourage you to take some time to read more about these efforts, so that you can be as proud of Apple's contributions in this area as I am. The details are online now at apple.com/supplierresponsibility.
Tim
Apple Expands iPhone and iPad Recycling Program to UK, Germany, and France [iOS Blog]
Jan 13, 6:49PM
Last August, Apple expanded its recycling program in the United States to allow customers to turn in their used iPhones and iPads for Apple gift cards.
As noted by Macworld UK and Macerkopf.de [Google translation], Apple has once again expanded its recycling efforts by bringing a similar initiative to the UK, France, and Germany. But rather than offering payment in the form of an Apple gift card, the program in these countries offers users cash deposited into their bank accounts.
With the Reuse and Recycling Programme, you could turn your old equipment into a brand-new Mac, iPod, iPhone or iPad.The program, offered in conjunction with the German arm of electronics recycler Dataserv, builds upon Apple's existing programs for recycling Macs, PCs, batteries, iPods, and mobile phones.
Whether it's an iPhone, iPad, Mac or PC computer, working or not, we'll take it and determine if it qualifies for reuse and has a monetary value. If it does, the amount will be credited directly into your bank account. If it doesn't, you can recycle it responsibly through one of our free recycling programs.
Apple supports recycling efforts in a number of other countries through third-party organizations with details for each region of the globe available from Apple's main recycling program pages.
Apple Releases 2012 Supplier Responsibility Progress Report and Supplier List
Jan 13, 5:25PM
The stream of environmental and labor rights news from Apple continues today with the company's release of its annual Supplier Responsibility Progress Report for 2012. The report details efforts to oversee working conditions and environmental responsibility at its suppliers around the world, and notes that the company conducted 229 audits during 2011 for an 80% increase over 2010's auditing levels.
In 2011, we conducted 229 audits throughout our supply chain — an 80 percent increase over 2010 — including more than 100 first-time audits. We continue to expand our program to reach deeper into our supply base, and this year we added more detailed and specialized audits that focus on safety and the environment.The company notes that in 2011 it began a dedicated environmental auditing process to supplement the environmental checks that had previously been included in the standard auditing procedure. According to the company, third-party environmental engineering experts helped conduct audits at fourteen different facilities, and some violations were found.
Full details on the auditing results, including summaries of the various violations discovered in environmental and other areas, are available in the complete report (PDF).
Apple for the first time also published a list of 156 suppliers (PDF) representing 97% of the company's procurement expenditures. While no details on each company's role in Apple's supply chain is offered in the document, merely identifying the supply chain offers some improvement in transparency for the secretive company.
Update: The Wall Street Journal has a story on Apple's disclosures, including quotes from CEO Tim Cook.
"I have spent a lot of time in factories over my lifetime and we are clearly leading in this area," said Mr. Cook, previously Apple's chief operating officer who oversaw its supply chain. "It is like innovating in products. You can focus on things that are barriers or you can focus on scaling the wall or redefining the problem." [...]
The report found 108 facilities didn't pay proper overtime wages and 93 facilities had records that indicated more than 50% of their workers exceeded the 60-hour work week. The audits also found 5 facilities had incidents of underage labor.
"Working hours is a complex issue," said Mr. Cook, adding he's confident the company can improve in the area by "monitoring these plants at a very, very micro level."
"I know this is a journey," Mr. Cook said.
Apple Partners with Labor Group to Monitor Workplace Conditions at Suppliers' Factories
Jan 13, 5:05PM
Bloomberg reports that Apple has agreed to allow the Fair Labor Association (FLA) to access its suppliers' facilities to monitor workplace conditions in the wake of publicity surrounding worker suicides at Apple's primary manufacturing partner Foxconn.
The world's most valuable technology company joins Nike Inc. (NKE), Nestle SA (NESN) and Syngenta AG (SYNN) in turning to the Fair Labor Association, set up in 1999 to monitor workplace conditions globally in an initiative by former U.S. President Bill Clinton. Apple is the first technology business to sign up to the FLA as a participating company, the Washington-based body said today in a press release.In the press release (PDF), Apple senior vice president Jeff Williams notes that Apple routinely performs audits of its suppliers' facilities but that the company is pleased to engage with the Fair Labor Association as an independent monitoring group.
"We're extremely proud to be the first technology company admitted to the FLA," said Jeff Williams, Apple's senior vice president of Operations. "Last year we performed more than 200 audits at our supplier's facilities around the world. With the benefit of the FLA's experience and expertise, we will continue to drive improvements for workers and provide even greater transparency into our supply chain."The FLA reports that it worked with Apple last year on the company's training programs regarding labor rights and worker standards, and that Apple will bring all of its workplace compliance standards in line with the FLA's guidelines over the next two years.
Apple Stepping Up Environmental Friendliness with New Halogen-Free Cables
Jan 13, 4:43PM
The London Evening Standard reports (via GigaOM) that Apple is requiring cable supplier Volex to spend up to $6 million retooling its production lines to eliminate halogens from the power and USB cables used in the company's products. The move will make the cables less toxic to the environment upon disposal.
Apple is the biggest customer of Volex, 23%-owned by billionaire financier Nat Rothschild, which makes the power cables and USB leads used in everything from laptops to iPhones and iPads.Apple has in the past received criticism from environmental advocacy groups such as Greenpeace, but the company has been performing better in recent surveys as it has continued to shift to more environmentally-friendly alternatives and has become more open about its efforts on the environmental front.
But the US firm is on a drive to move its products towards halogen-free power cables, which are less harmful to the environment when disposed of.
The start-up costs in designing and making the new cables will cost it up to $6 million in the current financial year, Volex said today, although, stripping out these one-off costs, profits will be in line with market expectation.
In 2009, the company launched an expanded environmental footprint section of its website to help provide information on its impact and progress in the area.
Singapore Carriers to Offer Camera-less iPhone 4S Models [iOS Blog]
Jan 13, 2:52PM
The Jakarta Globe reports that Apple's three carrier partners in Singapore are making plans to offer iPhone 4S models lacking cameras, with the move said to be targeting members of the military who are prohibited from bringing camera-equipped phones onto their bases. Carrier M1 even briefly offered camera-less models on its website earlier this week.
"iPhone 4S Non Camera" listing on M1's site (Source: CNET Asia)
The camera-less phones are not, however, an officially-sanctioned product offered by Apple, as the carriers are simply removing the cameras from the standard devices before sale and charging a premium for the service. The modification also voids Apple's warranty on the device.
Following a year-long review, Mindef [the Singapore Defense Ministry] recently issued guidelines to its servicemen on the use of such smartphones.Singapore is of course not alone in its restrictions on camera-enabled phones, as many other governments and private companies place restrictions on such devices in sensitive locations. But the effort by Singapore's carriers appears to be the most official and organized attempt to address those needs for iPhone users.
It is understood that servicemen with these phones must show a certificate to prove that their handsets were modified by any one of the local telcos.
Last September, Mindef spokesman Desmond Tan told The Straits Times that Mindef and the SAF were 'exploring ways to allow our personnel to use smartphones while maintaining our current security policy on disallowing personal image-capturing devices to be used on Mindef/SAF premises'.
Apple Halts In-Store iPhone 4S Sales in China Over Safety Concerns
Jan 13, 2:34PM
Following early morning chaos at Apple's Sanlitun retail store in Beijing that prevented Apple from opening the store for the iPhone 4S launch, Reuters reports that the company has temporarily halted in-store sales of the device at all five of its retail stores in China.
"The demand for iPhone 4S has been incredible and our stores in China have already sold out," an Apple spokeswoman said.The statement noted that customers would still be able to order the iPhone 4S through Apple's website or through carrier partner China Unicom. Apple's Chinese online store is, however, currently out of stock of all iPhone 4S models and not taking any orders.
"Unfortunately, we were unable to open our store at Sanlitun due to the large crowd. And to ensure the safety of our customers and our employees, iPhones will not be available in our retail stores in Beijing and Shanghai for the time being," she said.
Police organizing to handle disruptions at Apple's Sanlitun retail store (Source: M.I.C gadget)
Teams of scalpers are very active at Apple's retail stores in China, with their efforts to snap up as much of the available supply of popular products as possible leading to significant tensions, particularly at product launches. Disruptions have occasionally forced Apple to briefly shut certain stores and tweak their purchasing requirements as they seek to manage the situation, but this morning's "near-riot" at the Sanlitun store seems to have been the most significant situation yet.
OnLive Desktop for iPad Now Available on App Store
Jan 13, 6:20AM
OnLive's virtual Windows 7 / Office app for the iPad has arrived on the App Store. As we reported earlier this week, OnLive Desktop offers iPad users access to full-featured versions of Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint. The applications are running on OnLive's servers and streamed to your iPad.
OnLive offers a number of plans for the service, including a Free service as server capacity is available. Paid accounts will take priority over free accounts.
Existing OnLive customers can sign in with their existing accounts and new users may sign up for a free account -- though account activation seems to be throttled and may be delayed.
As with their gaming service, performance can be subject to a number of factors, including internet speed and proximity to servers. [App Store]
iPhone 4S Launch Delayed in Beijing as SWAT Teams Respond to Violence
Jan 13, 12:36AM
Reports coming in from M.I.C gadget and AppleInsider claim that Apple's Chinese launch of the iPhone 4S is not going particularly smoothly, with violence breaking out ahead of the opening at Apple's Sanlitun retail store in Beijing. According to reports, the violence has resulted in Apple delaying the planned early opening of the store by at least an hour, with the company potentially having canceled today's launch there entirely. From M.I.C gadget:
Lines outside the Apple store in Beijing's Sanlitun district show no signs of shortening, causing frustration for the thousands of fans and scalpers desperate to get their hands on the iPhone 4S. Now some of that disappointment is turning to anger, with reports of fights breaking out between gangs of scalpers, and guess what, Beijing SWAT teams arrived. So, the Apple store employees later announced that the launch of iPhone 4S is cancelled at the Apple's flagship store in Beijing, and all scalpers are pissed.Bloomberg notes that Apple's "main store in Beijing" (presumably the Sanlitun store) is currently being pelted with eggs by customers upset with the delayed opening.
Officers from Beijing's SWAT team arrive at Apple's Sanlitun retail store
Apple has seen similar large crowds dominated by scalpers at many of its major product launches in China, with teams of people working to purchase as much of the available stock as possible for resale at higher prices. Violence has occasionally erupted both between scalpers and between scalpers and those upset with their strategies.
Update: Bloomberg now has an expanded story on the situation.
Apple Inc. (AAPL)'s main store in Beijing was pelted with eggs from a crowd of about 500 people after it failed to open on time for the start of sales of the iPhone 4S.
Apple had advertised that the store would open at 7 a.m. At about 7:15 a.m., the crowd began chanting "Open the door!" and "Liars!" after a man with a bullhorn said the phone would not go on sale today, without giving an explanation. The man also declined to identify himself to a Bloomberg News reporter. The crowd chased away a man who tried to stop the egg throwing.
Apple Working to Lease 700,000-800,000 Square Feet of New Office Space in Sunnyvale
Jan 13, 12:13AM
While Apple moves forward on plans for its new 2.8 million square foot corporate campus in Cupertino, the company continues to grow with the success of its products. Apple's interim space needs led the company to lease 373,000 square feet in Cupertino six months ago, and soon after expand its New York City presence to over 50,000 square feet.
The San Jose Mercury News now reports that Apple is working on deals to lease between 700,000 and 800,000 square feet of additional space in Sunnyvale, California, adjacent to the company's hometown of Cupertino.
According to the report, Apple has already signed a lease for a four-building complex in Sunnyvale totaling 215,000 square feet. The company is said to be preparing move into the new facility, which is approximately seven miles from Apple's main corporate campus, by the end of this quarter.
The company has also signed a lease for over 100,000 square feet in another two-building complex. Estimates suggest that Apple could house about 1,300 employees over the two sites, but could push that Sunnyvale population to over 3,000 if it can track down the additional space it is looking for.
"Apple seems to be gobbling up everything they can," said Chad Leiker, a vice president with Kidder Mathews, a realty firm. "They are taking a ton of space."Apple has long been overflowing its main Cupertino campus, purchasing and leasing additional space surrounding the campus and elsewhere. The company's plans for its new major campus are intended to allow it to consolidate many of those space needs currently served by leased space into a single company-owned location. But with construction on the new campus yet to get underway, Apple will need to continue leasing new space over the next several years in order to handle its rapidly expanding workforce.
Verizon to Require 4G LTE Compatibility for 'All' Future Smartphones
Jan 12, 8:28PM
CNET yesterday reported that Verizon has announced a "hard requirement" that all future smartphones released on the carrier support 4G LTE technology for faster data speeds. That requirement has naturally led to speculation that the carrier has all but confirmed that the iPhone 5 will support LTE, which had already been widely assumed and rumored. Verizon's statement does, however, come with a minor catch, as there will reportedly be occasional exceptions to the LTE requirement, although those exceptions seem to be planned for the carrier's push-to-talk business.
From now on, nearly every smartphone, wireless hot spot, tablet, and Netbook that Verizon offers will come with LTE guns a-blazing. Yes, Virginia, that includes Windows Phone and BlackBerry devices, too.The report notes that Verizon currently leads the pack among U.S. carriers when it comes to LTE deployment, already covering 200 million people in 190 markets with plans to complete the buildout by the end of next year. Unsurprisingly, Verizon is seeking to use its lead in LTE to its advantage by pushing its users onto devices offering the faster speeds.
There will be the occasional exception, however. For instance, phones on Verizon's push-to-talk network are 3G-only for now, and will remain that way until further notice.
Verizon's clear, unyielding stance on 4G--"a hard requirement," according to Verizon--may partially explain why it has picked up only one Windows Phone so far.
Apple Researching Motion-Sensing Virtual 3D User Interface for iOS Devices
Jan 12, 6:29PM
Patently Apple reports on a newly-published patent application from Apple describing the use of motion sensors to create a virtual three-dimensional interface for iOS devices. Utilizing concepts similar those found in a number of existing augmented reality apps, the general device interface could appear as a virtual room that could be navigated by changing the orientation of the device.
The invention covers a 3D display environment for mobile device that uses orientation data from one or more onboard sensors to automatically determine and display a perspective projection of the 3D display environment based on the orientation data without the user physically interacting with (e.g., touching) the display.Apple describes the use of gyroscope sensors that would allow the "camera view" of the virtual room to rotate as the user rotates their device. Apple also mentions that sensors could be used to detect gestures above the surface of the device's display in order to allow for natural 3D manipulation of the user interface environment.
Finally, Apple's patent application discusses a "snap to" feature that would allow users to easily transition between various "walls" within the virtual room.
In another patent application filed in mid-2007, Apple discussed a similar notion of multi-dimensional desktops in Mac OS X, showing a virtual room with various groups of icons on the different walls of the room. Apple followed that up with another patent application looking at hyper-reality displays that would allow for orientation- and motion-based manipulation of 3D objects.
Target Confirms Plans to Bring Dedicated Apple Shops to 25 Stores
Jan 12, 3:41PM
Reuters reports that Target has confirmed its plans to launch "store-within-a-store" concepts for Apple products in 25 of its stores around the United States. The announcement comes alongside a broader effort called "the Shops at Target" that will offer special focuses on certain products and brands.Target Corp (TGT.N), known to many U.S. shoppers as the place to go for trendy, low-priced merchandise, will soon have shops within its discount stores selling everything from dog treats to high-end home accessories.Word of Target's plans first surfaced late last week, with Apple and Target reportedly teaming up to place the locations in areas without sufficient customer base to support full Apple retail stores.
Target also confirmed during a presentation on Thursday that it will have 25 stores featuring special displays of Apple Inc (AAPL.O) merchandise, a move that had been speculated about last week.
Neither Apple nor Target has provided details on just what the store-within-a-store concepts will entail, although some are looking to perhaps a scaled-down version of the "Apple Shop" model used in many Best Buy stores as a possibility.
Sharp Out as iPad 3 Display Supplier?
Jan 12, 3:22PM
Even as some sources are claiming that iPad 3 production is underway with Sharp providing the displays for the device, Korea's Electronic Times reports (via Patently Apple) that Sharp has failed to meet Apple's requirements and is out as a display supplier. According to the report, Samsung and LG will be providing the displays for the iPad 3.
An industry source said on January 9, "LCD manufacturers started mass production and supply of LCD panels for the iPad3 late last year. Samsung Electronics' LCD business unit was the first to start mass production, and LG Display has participated in mass production with full capacity, beginning this year." [...]Apple is said to be requiring at least 65 million iPad 3 display panels for 2012, with an initial batch of 5 million being produced for launch.
Sharp has competed with Samsung Electronics and LG Display over the development of display panels for the iPad3, but reportedly failed to pass Apple's approval process for mass production.
A decision by Apple not to go with Sharp for the iPad 3 display could have consequences for the device's design, as the two companies have been reported by several sources to be working together on Sharp's indium gallium zinc oxide (IGZO) technology to achieve thinner, lower power displays.
If Apple does utilize more traditional low-temperature polycrystalline silicon (LTPS) displays from Toshiba and LG, that decision could require a dual light bar system to support the higher resolution of the iPad 3, thus necessitating the slightly thicker profile that has been rumored for the device.
Hundreds Lining Up for iPhone 4S at Chinese Apple Stores
Jan 12, 2:58PM
With close to twelve hours still to go until opening time, Tech in Asia reports that Apple's five retail stores in China are seeing huge lines for the iPhone 4S, with stores said to already be seeing hundreds of people in line.
At the two stores in Beijing, and the three in Shanghai, there are clearly lines stretching hundreds of meters, with reports of hundreds of queuers at each, snaking around city blocks (see more photos below). Most stores have a ticketing system to deter queue-jumpers, but that won't stop the 'scalpers' who buy the phones to resell later at a profit.
Apple's Xidan Joy City store in Beijing
The report notes that Apple's iPhone partner China Unicom will begin selling the iPhone 4S online at 12:01 AM, but that there is undoubtedly significant interest in unlocked devices sold directly from Apple. Pricing is set at the equivalent of $790/$932/$1,074 for the three capacities of unlocked iPhone 4S models.
Apple's Pudong store in Shanghai
For those customers willing to sign up for a contract with China Unicom, the carrier is offering the iPhone 4S for free under certain rate plans and contract lengths.
Apple Maintains Third Place Ranking with 11.6% of U.S. PC Shipments in 4Q 2011
Jan 11, 10:08PM
Research firm Gartner today released its preliminary personal computer shipment data for the fourth quarter of 2011, offering up a picture of market performance during the quarter. With year-over-year unit growth of over 20%, Apple was the only one of the top five U.S. vendors to see an increase in shipments in an overall market that shrank by nearly 6%.
Apple's U.S. Market Share Trend: 1Q06-4Q11 (Gartner)
Apple's share dipped from 12.9% in the third quarter, which is routinely the company's strongest quarter due to a heavy presence in education. But the performance marks a distinct improvement over Apple's 9.0% share in the year-ago quarter and continues a long-term trend of increasing market share.
Gartner's Preliminary U.S. PC Vendor Unit Shipment Estimates for 4Q11 (Thousands of Units)
As usual, Gartner did not cover Apple's worldwide market share for the quarter, as the company does not rank among the top five vendors on a worldwide basis. PC shipments shrank 1.4% year-over-year on a worldwide basis, with strong growth from Lenovo and Asus being offset by declines from HP and Acer.
Update: IDC has also released its numbers for the fourth quarter of 2011, yielding results similar to Gartner's. As is typical, IDC pegged Apple's market share slightly lower than in Gartner's data, with IDC showing Apple with 10.92% of the U.S. market on 18% year-over-year growth.
IDC also released numbers for full-year 2011, showing Apple in third place in the U.S. market at 10.73%, up from 8.83% in 2010. Apple's full-year growth of 16.41% easily outpaced the other top-five manufacturers in an overall U.S. market that declined by nearly 5% from 2010.
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