Editor’s Note: Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)
Apple Launch Could Open Up Chinese Market (Sky News HD)
Let’s take ‘reach’ first. In China there are three mobile phone networks: China Unicom, China Mobile and China Telecom Corporation. To date, Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) has only managed to establish a deal with two of them: China Unicom and China Telecom Corporation. Given that the other carrier, China Mobile, is the world’s largest network with an estimated 745 million subscribers, Apple is missing out on a huge chunk of the Chinese consumer base.
As Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) prepares to unveil new iPhones later today, the company faces increasingly different competitive marketplaces. In the U.S., Apple is thriving, hitting a record high in market share as smartphone penetration continues to rise. Abroad, the story is very different, as very inexpensive smartphones have taken root in China, Mexico and elsewhere. Today’s releases of the iPhone 5S and 5c are likely to help Apple hold onto much of its share in the U.S. and make some inroads elsewhere, but vulnerabilities remain. Those looking for clear answers about the long-term health of the platform are unlikely to get much clarity today — or even 6 months from now — but there will be things to watch out for.
Why Apple Is in No Hurry to Release a Smartwatch (Time Tech)
If you keep up with the tech news these days, you know that wearable computing is all the rage. Research firm Gartner projects that wearable smart electronics will be a $10 billion industry by 2016. Smartwatches started us down this path but it was the announcement of Google Glass that really caught the market’s attention and piqued people’s interest in this new category of wearable computers.
iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C launch to ‘brighten everyone’s day’, says Apple (The Guardian)
Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s invitation to an event at its Cupertino headquarters on Tuesday promises to “brighten everyone’s day”. Shown via satellite link in Europe it will, for the first time, also be shown to a select group of guests in China. Even though the iPhone maker has said nothing about what is ahead, its vast supply chain in China has leaked enough details over the past few months that seasoned observers feel sure about what Apple has in store. There will be a top-end “iPhone 5S”, looking like last year’s iPhone 5, in black, white and “champagne” – a cross between gold and beige – which may include a fingerprint sensor for unlocking, and double-speed video capture.
iPhone 5S: Apple’s new hope? (The Telegraph)
Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) will launch its new iPhone today amid a wave of rumours that the device will feature a fingerprint sensor, and could be accompanied by a whole new model aimed exclusively at developing markets.
The notoriously secretive company that started the new era of touchscreen mobile phones faces criticism that it has lost its ability to innovate and is failing to address the burgeoning Chinese market. It is also under growing pressure to fight back against Samsung’s ever-growing range of products that now includes a smart watch, the Galaxy Gear, and an improved tablet featuring handwriting recognition.
