Unauthorized iPhones on sale in China
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The iPhone can be bought in China, even though Apple Inc. isn't selling it there and the gadget doesn't function properly despite costing twice as much as in the United States.
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(InfoWorld) - Ultramobile PCs attracted the biggest crowds at an electronics show in Shanghai over the weekend, although a secret exhibit marked "No Foreigners Allowed" also drew attention, at least of curious reporters. The exhibit, which consisted of about 100 tables set up to show components and gadgets, was in an area of the conference walled off by 10-foot high white dividers. âYou must have a China ID to enter,â said one of four uniformed guards at the entrance, as he moved to block the view of a reporter. The existence of such an area conjured up images of imitation iPods, Razr handsets, and PlayStation 3 consoles. It's easy to imagine such pirated gear in China, where DVDs of the new James Bond movie, "Casino Royale," are already being sold in city streets for 6 Chinese renminbi ($0.77). It turned out to be less mysterious. A helpful local resident reported that the area had been set aside for military components, hence the enclosure. What grabbed the most attention from Chinese visitors was a display ofÂ ultramobile PCs by Samsung Electronics. That may have been due to the entertainment nearby as much as the devices themselves. Samsung's booth was next to a Korean exhibit that featured traditional dancing, Korean singers, and a Taekwondo exhibition where martial arts experts broke boards with leaping kicks, all of which drew people in for a look at the Q1. Three of the devices were set out in Samsung's booth, powered up and ready for action. The crowd around the exhibit was three deep for much of the show. âIâve never seen one. Itâs small and cute, but it seems expensive,â one attendee said. The Q1, which runs on a 900MHz Celeron processor from Intel, retails in the U.S. for $1,099. A manager at Samsungâs booth said a less expensive version of the device, the Q1B, was originally supposed to arrive in China in December, but it's introduction there has been delayed. She declined to discuss the reason. The main difference between the Q1 and Q1B is in the processor and the price. The Q1B carries a 1.0GHz C7 microprocessor from Via Technologies and sells for $899.99 at Newegg.com . Also notable at the event was the cancellation of a forum on creating a China-Taiwan standard for Mobile TV. The meeting was cancelled for no reason anyone cared to discuss. In an interview, Roger Liao, deputy director of international affairs at one of Taiwanâs biggest industry groups, the Taiwan Electrical and Electronic Manufacturersâ Association (TEEMA), said there has been a lot of talk about Taiwan and China teaming up to create industry standards for electronics products, but that no concrete actions have yet been taken by either side. Cancelling the meeting was apparently another sign that work towards such standards has not gone smoothly. The Shanghai electronics exhibition was a combination of three shows, the China Electronics Fair (CEF Shanghai 2006), the Asia Electronics Exhibition in Shanghai (AAES 2006), and the 2006 International Electronics Expo (IEE Shanghai 2006).
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(InfoWorld) - The surest sign marketing hype surroundingÂ Apple's iPhoneÂ has outdone itself is that a small island on the Pacific rim is abuzz over the device, despite the fact it won't be on sale here until next year at the earliest. Part of the reason for the excitement is the number of technology savvy users in Taiwan who want to get their hands on one. The most popular Internet auction site on the island, run by Yahoo Taiwan, boasts six different iPhone sellers. One auctioneer is offering the smartphones at NT$32,000 (US$975), on pre-order. At a rival Web auction site, Ruten.com.tw, one seller has a 4GB iPhone for NT$25,000. Most of the sellers are up-front about the fact users may not be able to use the iPhone for phone calls in Taiwan, for now. "You may only be able to use the camera and music player function of the iPhone," writes one seller. That may not deter buyers. Not only is the iPhone viewed as a status symbol, many Taiwanese often travel to the U.S. for business, and a number of people own second homes in places such as California. They could sign an AT&T iPhone service agreement on a trip to the U.S. The popularity of the Apple product is easy to see every day, in newspaper headlines and on the cover of magazines, including Business Next, which says a lot about the other reason the handset is so popular in Taiwan. Taiwanese companies play a vital role in the production of the device, and rumors of which company is making what component on the iPhone are moving stock prices daily in Taiwan. Apple is sourcing a number of parts from the island, and has asked iPod manufacturer Hon Hai Precision Industry Co.Â to assemble the iPhones in China, analysts say. In fact, the stock market boom that has taken hold in Taiwan recently has been attributed partly to iPhone hype. Stock traders hope the iPhone sells millions of units, because companies on the island stand to win from every handset sale. Largan Precision Co., for example, supplies camera lenses and modules for the iPhone, according to CLSA Asia-Pacific Markets in Taipei. Foxconn Technology Co.Â is a provider of metal casing for the handsets, while Unimicron Technology is supplying printed circuit boards for the device and Cheng Uei Precision Industry is making its chargers and cables, the investment house says. The stock prices of many of these have soared in the months leading up to its launch, but are in a holding pattern now as investors wait to see how the iPhone fares in the market. Estimates of iPhone sales vary widely. Citigroup Research, a division of Citigroup Global Markets, estimates iPhone sales will reach 3.5 million in 2007 and 8.5 million in 2008. That's ahead of Apple's own prediction of 10 million over the same period. Deutsche Bank is even more positive about the iPhone. The investment firm expects 7.5 million of them to ship this year and 12 million in 2008, according to a report dated June 22. An even more optimistic forecast comes from financial services company Credit Suisse, which predicts iPhone shipments will reach 5 million this year and 15 million next year. "Apple's iPhone, expected to launch at AT&T on June 29, is clearly the most widely anticipated product the industry has seen for many years, potentially ever," wrote Credit Suisse analyst Michael Ounjian, in a June 5 report on the device. Lehman Brothers offered a more conservative estimate, saying Apple's own 10 million figure "may be difficult to reach" but that the figure "is achievable" in a June 21 report. The investment house believes Apple will start offering the iPhone in Europe sometime in the last three months of this year, and that it will begin sales in Asia in 2008. Apple has not said when it will start shipping the iPhone overseas. The iPhone, a smartphone with built-in iPod music player functions, goes on sale in the U.S. at 6 p.m. Friday. Apple is offering two models, a 4GB model costing US$499 and an 8GB model at US$599. Users will have to sign a two-year contract with AT&TÂ for phone service. Â
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Consumers planning to buy the iPhone at the end of the month will need an iTunes Store account to activate the device.
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According to Saul Hansell at the NY Times, Apple intends to break phones that have been unlocked.  But Francine Hardaway and Patrick Scoble both updated this afternoon, and bad things happened. Hardaway's phone was "fried," she needed a new phone, and Scoble lost all his data. Hardaway: "Trust me, I didn't hack it." Jeff Clavier: "This effing piece of s..t is bricked." Robert Scoble, Patrick's dad, updated successfully, and got the new features. Spaley's iPhone is "a useless piece of crap." Looks like Josh Bancroft's iPhone was hosed too. I would hold off on the update until we find out what's going wrong.  Sugar Attack: "It wasn't until I saw a friend tweet about the new iPhone firmware upgrade that I realized I could now access the iTunes WiFi store."
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A grainy video made in Northern Ireland has been posted on the Web showing the iPhone being unlocked and being used to make calls with a carrier other than AT&T.
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But global roaming still some way off Hackers have succeeded in (partially) unlocking the iPhone so Apple's much-hyped device can be used on at least one network other than AT&amp;T.â¦
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Apple Inc  and China Mobile  have called off talks to launch the U.S. firm's popular iPhones in China, dashing speculation the device will hit the country's store shelves soon.
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Apple Inc  and China Mobile  have called off talks to launch the U.S. firm's popular iPhones  in China, dashing investor speculation that the device will hit  store shelves soon and sending China Mobile shares down.
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China Mobile Communications has, for now, broken off talks about serving as Apple's iPhone partner in launching the popular smart phone in China later this year.
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A group of hackers said they will soon sell software allowing Apple&#39;s iPhone to be used with any cellphone carrier, skirting AT&amp;T&#39;s exclusive deal in the United States.
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Hackers have found a way to use  Apple Inc's  iPhone on networks other than AT&T Inc's  , opening up the coveted device to rival carriers and  overseas customers, according to a Web report on Friday.
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No true fans of the coveted  iPhone could be found standing in line outside Apple's flagship  store here a full day before the gadgets go on sale. There were  just exploiters, exploited and a few clowns.
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SAN FRANCISCO - Apple Inc. said that almost one out of every six iPhones sold may have been unlocked to run on unauthorized wireless networks, surprising analysts who had estimated the problem wasn't as widespread.
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UK watchdog the Office of Fair Trading is investigating claims that Apple is ripping off its UK customers. The investigation follows a complaint that UK customers were having to shell out more for the reassuringly
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Apple's iPhone is locked to AT&T's telecom service, but now that the device is finally available for sale, a number of hackers are working to unlock it. The prognosis is promising.
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Apple Inc. has begun allowing people who bought iPhones before the higher-end model's price was abruptly slashed to apply for a $100 store credit.