The Wall Street Journal reports that Apple has received certification to sell the 3G iPad 2 in mainland China. Up until now, Apple has only been allowed to sell the Wi-Fi models of the iPad 2 in China.
According to China's Telecommunication Equipment Certification Center, a device by Apple with third-generation high-speed wireless data capabilities was issued the network access license needed for the company to begin official sales in China. The device, listed under model number "A1396," is compatible with the 3G standard WCDMA, and would work with the cellular network operated by Apple's local iPhone partner, China Unicom (Hong Kong) Ltd.
Model number A1396 is Apple's model number for the 3G iPad 2 that was released in the U.S. in March.
Separately, Penn Olson reported that Apple's official China site had listed 3G iPad 2s for sale for the first time yesterday (now removed). Shipping was listed as within 2 or 3 weeks. The site explains that Apple's 3G products are always slower to enter the Chinese market.
In related news, Apple officially confirmed that Apple's first Hong Kong retail store would be opening this quarter in the International Finance Center's IFC mall. Photos of the beginnings of the store have been sent in to us and other sites. Engadget China reports the store will open on September 24th.
Apple's rapid expansion in its Greater China market of China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan has been well documented with 6x year over year growth reported in July. At the time, now Apple CEO Tim Cook said they believe that Greater China is "a substantial opportunity for Apple and we're just scratching the surface."
Friday January 17, 2025 2:42 pm PST by Joe Rossignol
iOS 19 is still around six months away from being announced, but a new leak has allegedly revealed a completely redesigned Camera app.
Based on footage it obtained, YouTube channel Front Page Tech shared a video showing what the new Camera app will apparently look like, with the key change being translucent menus for camera controls. Overall, the design of these menus looks similar to...
Sunday January 19, 2025 6:58 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple on late Saturday removed TikTok from the App Store in the U.S., and it has now explained why it was required to take this action.
Last year, the U.S. passed a law that required Chinese company ByteDance to divest its ownership of TikTok due to potential national security risks, or else the platform would be banned. That law went into effect today, and companies like Apple and Google...
Thursday January 16, 2025 6:45 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple today adjusted estimated trade-in values for select iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch models in the U.S., according to its website.
Some values increased, while others decreased. The changes were not too significant, with most values rising or dropping by $5 to $50.
We have outlined some examples below:
Device
New Value
Old Value
iPhone 15 Pro Max
Up to $630
U ...
Thursday January 16, 2025 12:39 pm PST by Juli Clover
Apple provided the third beta of iOS 18.3 to developers today, and while the betas have so far been light on new features, the third beta makes some major changes to Notification Summaries and also tweaks a few other features.
Notification Summary Changes
Apple made multiple changes to Notification Summaries in response to complaints about inaccurate summaries of news headlines.
For...
Saturday January 18, 2025 10:28 am PST by Joe Rossignol
iOS 19 will not drop support for any iPhone models, according to French website iPhoneSoft.fr.
The report cited a source who said iOS 19 will be compatible with any iPhone that can run iOS 18, which would mean the following models:
iPhone 16
iPhone 16 Plus
iPhone 16 Pro
iPhone 16 Pro Max
iPhone 15
iPhone 15 Plus
iPhone 15 Pro
iPhone 15 Pro Max
iPhone 14
iPhon...
Sunday January 19, 2025 8:11 am PST by Joe Rossignol
After a four-year wait, a new AirTag is finally expected to launch in 2025. Below, we recap rumored upgrades for the accessory.
A few months ago, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said Apple was aiming to release the AirTag 2 around the middle of 2025. While he did not offer a more specific timeframe, that means the AirTag 2 could be announced by the end of June.
The original AirTag was announced...
Friday January 17, 2025 3:38 pm PST by Juli Clover
For the last several months, we've been hearing rumors about a redesigned version of the iPhone 17 that Apple might call the iPhone 17 "Air," or something along those lines. It's going to replace the iPhone 17 Plus as Apple's fourth iPhone option, and it will be offered alongside the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max.
We know the iPhone 17 Air is going to be super slim, but...
Sunday January 19, 2025 8:25 am PST by Joe Rossignol
In September, Apple said that it would be launching Powerbeats Pro 2 in 2025, and it appears the wireless earbuds are coming very soon.
Powerbeats Pro 2 images found in iOS 18 code
In his Power On newsletter today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said the Powerbeats Pro 2 are "due imminently." In addition to Apple filing the Powerbeats Pro 2 in regulatory databases last month, Gurman said Apple is...
They had to wait for Steve to demission before opening a store in HK accompanied with such an un-apple sharp red color banner...
Well red is a VERY auspicious colour in Hong Kong, and I think they are just responding to what people like, so it makes sense. It's not that un-Apple when you think about it, they've just changed the colour!
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Apple is officially ending its ignorance of Hong Kong for decades :-) Hong Kong people can finally enjoy customer service which is up to Apple's standard instead of being transferred to some random third party "authorized" repairer....:D
Amen! It's been a long time!
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Good news for Apples bank account, it's nice hearing about their continued growth in that market, despite the black market of copies and cloned iOS devices.
Just wished this news also included information about an iPad 3, but I can always have wishful thinking! ;)
They're probably thinking: 'If we don't go to China, the fakes will!', so it's a way of dealing with it!
Apple is officially ending its ignorance of Hong Kong for decades :-) Hong Kong people can finally enjoy customer service which is up to Apple's standard instead of being transferred to some random third party "authorized" repairer....:D
Sorry but i need to point this out, Hong kong is'nt China. Hong kong is'nt part of China anymore. In Hong kong they don't speak Mandarin, they speak Cantonese. In Hong kong they dont have Chinese yuan (renminbi), they use Hong kong dollar..
Hong Kong isn't China, but it is a part of China. It has been since 1997.
The fact that a different dialect used does not matter; there are hundreds of dialects spoken withiin mainland China.
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The fact that it has different administration is irrelevant.
No it's extremely relevant. The Hong Kong SAR is more than just a label. Virtually everything is separate from mainland China; the economy, the political system, laws and regulations, government infrastructure, flag, etc. About the only thing they share is a national defense. You do have to go through border patrol to get between Hong Kong and mainland China.
Good news for Apples bank account, it's nice hearing about their continued growth in that market, despite the black market of copies and cloned iOS devices.
Just wished this news also included information about an iPad 3, but I can always have wishful thinking! ;)
