Apple and Alipay partner to launch a US$30/month China iPhone deal. Shoppers can borrow interest-free money for Apple purchases.Â
China
This Website Exposes Apple Censorship in China
A new website called AppleCensorship.com exposes how the company censors apps in China at the behest of the government.
A new website exposes the extent to which Apple cooperates with Chinese government internet censorship, blocking access to Western news sources, information about human rights and religious freedoms, and privacy-enhancing apps that would circumvent the country’s pervasive online surveillance regime.
I’m a fan of Apple, privacy, and Apple’s stance on privacy. That being said I think whenever Apple mentions privacy on its website there should be an asterisk with fine print saying: “We believe privacy is a fundamental human right except in these cases.”
Unicorn Born in China every 3.8 Days in 2018
97 tech unicorns, companies valued at over $1 billion, were formed in China in 2018. That’s the equivalent of one launching in the country every 3.8 days.. However, Bloomberg News reported that this pace of creation actually slowed down during the fourth quarter of the year. Only 11 unicorns launched in those three months. Instead of startups, large tech firms reasserted their position. The Chinese economic slowdown also contributed to this.
China spawned 97 unicorns last year with a combined valuation of 1.2 trillion yuan ($178 billion) across sectors from consumer internet to online shopping and electric vehicles, according to a report published by consultancy Hurun. That’s about one unicorn born every 3.8 days. But of those, 11 were created in the December quarter, down from more than 30 in the previous three months.
Here's Why iPhone Assembly Doesn't Happen Here
Apple relies on China for a huge part of its manufacturing needs. But why can’t the company bring it back to the United States? Custom screws.
The challenges in Texas illustrate problems that Apple would face if it tried to move a significant amount of manufacturing out of China. Apple has found that no country — and certainly not the United States — can match China’s combination of scale, skills, infrastructure and cost.
Manufacturing and cheap labor are the reasons why Apple and other companies go to China. The GOP can talk about bringing jobs like that back, but it’s not an easy problem to solve.
Chinese Think-Tank Blasts Apple's Taiwan and Hong Kong References
A Chinese think-tank criticized Apple, Amazon and a number of other firms for the way they reference Taiwan and Hong Kong, Reuters reported. Tawain is considered a wayward-province by China. Hong Kong was returned to China by the British in 1997 and is a semi-autonomous region. Apple is amongst a number of firms that refers to both Hong Kong and Tawain as separate from mainland China, something the Chinese government has been trying to crack down on recently.
China last year ramped up pressure on foreign companies including Marriott International and Qantas for referring to Taiwan and Hong Kong as separate from China in drop down menus or other material. The report was co-written by [Chinese Academy of Social Sciences] CASS and the Internet Development Research Institution of Peking University. An official at the Internet Development Research Institution told Reuters that it had not yet been published to the public and declined to provide a copy.
HomePod Coming to China and Hong Kong January 18
Apple’s HomePod is finally going to make it to Hong Kong and mainland China, nearly a year after it was originally released.
Tim Cook Is a Failure at Operations
Operations are supposed to be what Tim Cook does best. Under Steve Jobs he was the Chief Operating Officer at Apple. And while he may have done a great job there, he is a failure at it as CEO.
Chinese Hackers Threaten the Internet and Democracy
Over the past decade Chinese hackers have been increasingly attacking the United States and other countries that threaten the hegemony of The Party.
Many thought the internet would bring democracy to China. Instead it empowered rampant government oppression, and now the censors are turning their attention to the rest of the world.
Chinese hacking groups fall under the category of Advanced Persistent Threat (APT). The United States and China have this weird, sadomasochistic relationship, and while I don’t believe in trade wars, I think it’s important we send a message that the U.S. won’t tolerate such egregious behavior from our partners.
Will Apple Focus on Innovating and What Would Mac Spinoff Look Like, with John Kheit - ACM 495
Bryan Chaffin and John Kheit chew on Apple’s rare guidance warning like the mangy junk yard dogs that they are. They also discuss innovation, scale, how a giant Apple should be structured, and what a Macintosh, Inc. spinoff might look like. It’s a rollicking episode, and you’re cordially invited to listen in!
Qualcomm Wants Apple Lawyers Jailed or Fined
Qualcomm says that Apple isn’t taking the Chinese ruling as serious as the German injunction, even though the German injunction is hardware-related and the Chinese one is software-related.
Chinese Companies are Boycotting Apple Products in Favor of Huawei
Hundreds of companies are participating in this because of the arrest of Huawei’s CFO in Canada.
Qualcomm Says Apple Still 'Flouting' the Law
Qualcomm insisted that Apple remains in violation of court orders in China, despite the iOS updates pushed on Monday.
Apple Releasing Updates Next Week to try and Resolve Qualcomm China Dispute
Apple will release software updates next week in a bid to overturn the ban on sales of some iPhone models in China.
Apple Fighting China iPhone Ban
Apple filed an appeal in China on Monday to try and overturn injunctions that prohibited the sale of a number of models of iPhones.
Apple Removes 700 Apps from China App Store
Apple has deleted a further 700 apps in its App Store in China over recent days, following the deleting of thousands of apps in the country back in August.
High School Kids Allegedly Build Apple Watches
Work experience programs like this are legal, but they do have limitations based on the number of working hours.
Better Face ID for iPad Pro, the AI Cold War - TMO Daily Observations 2018-10-26
Dave Hamilton and Andrew Orr join Jeff Gamet to talk about why they expect to see landscape as well as portrait orientation support for Face ID on the new iPad Pro, plus they share their thoughts on the battle for AI supremacy in the U.S. and China.
Apple Apologizes for Chinese Apple ID Hacks
Apple has apologized over a string of Chinese Apple ID hacks. Certain Apple customers were victims of a phishing attack.
China Spy Hacks Again, Subscription TV Streaming Overload - TMO Daily Observations 2018-10-10
Adam Christianson from the Maccast and John Martellaro join Jeff Gamet to try to sort out Bloomberg’s latest Chinese server spy hack report, plus they dive into the growing problem with subscription streaming TV service overload.
Bloomberg Says More Supermicro Servers Have China Spy Hacks
Last week it was Chinese government spy chips, and now it’s hacked Ethernet ports in Supermicro servers. So says Bloomberg in a new report.
Deconstructing Bloomberg's Spy Chip Report, 7 Years of Siri - TMO Daily Observations 2018-10-08
Bryan Chaffin and John Martellaro join Jeff Gamet to look at the responses to Bloomberg’s China spy chip report, and what could account for the strong denials from Apple and Amazon. They also look at the state of Siri on the voice assistant’s 7th anniversary.
China's Computer Spying Chips, Presidential Alert Follow Up - TMO Daily Observations 2018-10-04
Andrew Orr and Bryan Chaffin join Jeff Gamet to explore a report that China snuck spy chips onto servers Apple, Amazon, and U.S. government agencies used, plus they follow up on yesterday’s smartphone emergency alert test.
Tim Cook VICE Interview Is Nice, But Reveals Little
A couple things that stood out to Andrew were Apple’s removal of Alex Jones, and Apple’s Chinese data centers.
Tim Cook's Vice Interview, John's Big Screen iPhone Love - TMO Daily Observations 2018-10-03
John Martellaro and Andrew Orr join Jeff Gamet to talk about Tim Cook’s Vice interview, plus they explore John’s new found love for the iPhone XS Max’s giant screen.