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Tag: china

  • Apple’s CEO Tim Cook Says Chinese Tastes Considered in Apple Product Designs

    Apple’s CEO Tim Cook Says Chinese Tastes Considered in Apple Product Designs

    iphone-6S-gold

    Apple’s CEO Tim Cook recently admitted that Apple takes into account Chinese consumer tastes as it designs its products. He further revealed that Apple considers details such as color palettes that are specifically tailored to suit local tastes.

    The decision to include a gold iPhone last year for instance was a bold statement of inclusion of its Chinese customer’s tastes where gold is a favorite. Greater Chine, which includes Hong Kong and Taiwan, is now Apple’s 2nd largest market and it is also a battleground for the American company as it faces stiff competition from Xiaomi Corp. and Samsung Electronics.

    Tim made this comments last month during a tour to China where he was visiting the company’s largest store worldwide in eastern city of Hangzhou. Tim also commented on the Apple Watch saying that it had already had a promising start having attracted more developer interest than the earliest iPads and iPhones had. Developers are developing more than 3,500 apps for the wearable and that is far ahead of the 500 apps available for the iPhone (2008 edition) and the 1,000 apps for the 1st iPad back in 2010, he added.

    Apple is still silent on the initial sales for the watch, which is considered its first truly new product after the death of co-founder Steve Jobs. It is also seen as a key test on Tim’s ability to shape the company’ products.

  • Moto G Smartphone to Be Unveiled By Motorola Aimed At Emerging Markets


    Google owned Motorola mobility handset maker is still struggling to find its niche in the smartphone market. Sales of its high-end smartphone Moto X have not been very impressive. Now the company intends to target the low end market with a cheap phone. However, this comes with a limitation since the phone will not be available in China, the worlds lading low end smartphone market.

    The company announced the low-end smartphone on Wednesday and it is set to retail at $180 without a contract. Motorola believes that it appeal to people in emerging markets like Chile, Brazil and Peru, with a combined population of 500 million potential customers.

    Much of its appeal is poised to come from Google’s Internet services embedded on the smartphone. The phone would be much less smart in china which blocks much of Google’s services including Google play.

    Motorola’s CEO Dennis Woodside said that the company’s ability to compete in china is a bit constrained and the smartphone will not be offered in the country initially.Motorola is confident enough that the smartphone will appeal to a large number of people outside China to make it successful.

    Unlike other low end smartphones in the market, the Moto G will have a 4.5-inch high-resolution screen and will also run the latest android software. However, there will also be some tradeoffs that come with the low cost smartphone. Moto G will be 5 ounces heavier than many popular smartphones.

    Motorola indicates that it will sell the Moto G at a profit and the phone is expected to hit the shelves in Brazil and parts of Europe on Wednesday and then reach US, India and other parts of Asia on January.

  • HDTV Rollout in China Continues to Power Cogo's Digital Media Growth

    Cogo, an embedded solutions and software provider for the technology and industrial sectors in China, continues to benefit from the strong roll-out of HDTV as total HDTV subscribers in China passed 2 million subscribers in the fourth quarter of 2010, up from 2 million in July 2010.

    Cogo, in conjunction with its partner, a semiconductor company, provides customized solutions for HDTV set-top boxes ("STB") for use in both domestic China and various export markets.

    Additionally, Cogo, in conjunction with this same semiconductor partner, has recently launched an upgraded STB solution with additional functionality (including cable modem features) that carries a higher Average Selling Price ("ASP") for Cogo than the current solution.

    Cogo has already started shipping this new solution to its HDTV customers, and shipments are expected to ramp significantly in 2011. It is believed that China’s HDTV ecosystem will continue to evolve over the next five years and will require new platform upgrades to drive increased functionality. It is expected this trend will continually drive higher ASPs for Cogo’s customized solutions.

    Several factors are unfolding that are expecting to accelerate the HDTV ramp in 2011. First, an increasing number of cable operators are expected to roll-out HDTV over the next year. Second, the government will expand the number of HDTV channels from the current 12 to 42 by the end of 2011. Triple-play field trials started in the third quarter of 2010 and trials are active in 12 cities currently; the number of cities and scope of the trials are expected to ramp significantly in 2011. Finally, cable operators in China are utilizing "mass market" upgrade pricing packages for migration to HDTV services.

    "I am very pleased that Cogo continues to participate in the rapidly growing HDTV roll-out in China," commented Jeffrey Kang, CEO of Cogo.

    "We prove time and again and that we can quickly position ourselves to take advantage of the ‘sweet spot’ of rapidly growing new end markets, like 3G Smartphones, tablets, smart meters, autos and HDTV. Our order patterns in these end markets continue to drive upside to our revenue targets and provide strong visibility to maintaining high-growth in 2011," he concluded.

  • China Sourcing Report: VoIP Products 2010

    Traffic upswing in the mobile VoIP sector in China is expected to exceed 100 percent annually till 2014, according to Research and Markets’ recently released "China Sourcing Report: VoIP Products 2010" report.

    The research shows that China suppliers of VoIP equipment are boosting output and exports and at the same time strengthening product development under efforts to sustain growth in the line. Makers are taking advantage of the opportunities brought about by the recent financial crunch to highlight the cost advantages of an IP-based communication setup, especially among SMEs.

    According to the analysts, the upturn in recent months, in fact, resulted from the migration of more enterprises to VoIP channels to leverage improving quality and reduced expenditure compared with traditional technologies.

    The strong market penetration of wireless standards is providing additional impetus. Mobile VoIP in particular is seen as a key growth area. Traffic upswing in this sector is expected to exceed 100 percent annually till 2014.

    The report also finds that under efforts to boost competitiveness and widen market reach, suppliers in China are underscoring high-value models. Several makers provide a broader selection of VoIP equipment to position themselves as a one-stop sourcing solution.

    The report form Research and Markets covers the key VoIP devices manufactured in China, namely routers, gateways, phones, PBXs and ATAs. Wired and wireless equipment is also discussed. You can find the full version of the report here.

    Related news
    Survey: 79% of Consumers Have Experienced Poor Voice Quality
    MZA: Avaya Continues to Lead PBX Market
    Report: The Future of Consumer VoIP

  • China TV Market to Enjoy Solid Growth in 2014

    The China television market, already a dominant force on the world stage, is expected to perform strongly once again in 2010, led by an overall rise in the production of television sets as well as surging demand for LCD-TVs, according to iSuppli.

    As the world’s top TV manufacturer, China will produce an estimated 95.5 million TV sets in 2010, up 11.3 percent from 85.8 million in 2009 when the country accounted for 42 percent of total global TV shipments. This year’s anticipated rise is also a bigger increase than the 5.3 percent gain made during the 2008-2009 period, iSuppli figures show.

    LCD-TV shipments alone this year will increase 40 percent to 80 million—or nearly 84 percent of overall China TV shipments—far outpacing the 13.6 million CRT-TVs and 1.9 million plasma sets to be produced in 2010.

    By 2014, iSuppli forecasts that TV production in China will rise to 128.1 million units, translating into a Compound Annual Growth Rate of 7.6 percent for the forecast period.

    LCD-TVs Take Center Stage
    The strength in China’s TV manufacturing can be attributed to the brisk expansion of LCD-TV production capacity as well as to the growing demand from both the domestic and export markets. In particular, Chinese LCD firms are investing billions of dollars in set-production lines, panel fabs and component factories, becoming more competitive with the global brands in the overall LCD-TV arena.

    Of the total China LCD market in 2009, local Chinese OEMs accounted for three-quarters market share, beating out their foreign-based counterparts that had pulled back on marketing in the country because of the global economic crisis. Chinese OEMs were also helped by their deep penetration in the rural market, along with support from the government’s subsidy program offering rebates to consumers who buy TVs and other consumer goods.

    In addition to the encouraging factors above, China’s LCD-TV market will receive a boost from consumer interest in new flat-panel TV features, such as higher 120/240Hz refresh rates, LED backlighting and Internet-ready capabilities, further cementing the dominance of LCD technology in the world’s most populous country, iSuppli projections show.

  • Motorola Partners with Microsoft for Search and Maps Services

    Motorola announced a global alliance with Microsoft to deploy Bing services on Motorola devices powered by Android.

    This new offering, launching in China on smartphones in Q1, will provide consumers a choice when using search and map functions on their Android-based devices.

    This collaboration will bring a pre-loaded Bing bookmark on the mobile browser and an enhanced search widget with Bing integration.

    According to Motorola, by enabling users to customize their devices and select their own search provider, the company, with help from Microsoft, is expanding the capabilities and range of services currently offered in the marketplace and opening the doors for increased personalization.

    According to Christy Wyatt, corporate vice president of software and services at Motorola Mobile Devices, “the consumer choice is one of the most critical components to ensuring a rich and seamless client experience".

    He said the addition of Bing services to their Android-based smartphones in China is “another important step in empowering Motorola’s end-users."

    "Mobile devices continue to be a critical place for customers to access location-based services such as local search and mapping," stated Yusuf Mehdi, senior vice president of the Online Services Division at Microsoft.

    Search and Maps capabilities through Microsoft will initially be available in China, starting in Q1 2010, through either pre-load or over-the-air updates for devices already in market.

  • 3G and Wireless Data Boom in China

    The release of 3G licenses in China is spurring a wireless data boom, with national revenue from such services rising by 18.9 percent in 2009 and nearly doubling from 2008 to 2013, says iSuppli.

    According to the research group, as the one-year anniversary of the issuance of 3G licenses in China approaches, wireless data revenue, including both messaging and non-messaging service, is set to rise to $19.3 billion in 2009, up from $16.3 billion in 2008.

    By 2013, data revenue will surge to $31.5 billion, increasing at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 14.1 percent from $16.3 billion in 2008.

    iSuppli predicts that non-messaging revenue soon will exceed messaging revenue as carriers expand mainstream adoption of 3G services. Non messaging service revenue will reach $20 billion in 2013, up by a factor of three from $6.8 billion in 2008.

    “The rapid growth of China’s data services is being enabled by the monumental spending of the nation’s wireless carriers on mobile infrastructure equipment,” said Will Kong, an analyst covering China research at iSuppli.

    “The carriers this year will spend about $6.3 billion on mobile infrastructure equipment, up 28 percent from 2008. This will represent a near-term peak, with spending in 2010 declining by 2.4 percent to $6.1 billion. During the next five years, carrier spending will continue to decline but will remain at a high level of more than $5.5 billion annually.”

    Kong claims that, although China Mobile achieved strong financial performance this year, its subscriber growth rate will decline. This is because China Telecom and China Unicom will place greater competitive pressure on China Mobile, especially in non-messaging services, by leveraging their network and handset advantages.

    In fact, China Mobile already has lost substantial market share in terms of new subscribers. The company’s share of wireless subscribers dropped to 58.2 percent in September, down from 78 percent in January.

    iSuppli forecasts mobile subscribers at China Telecom and China Unicom will exceed 100 million and 200 million, respectively, in 2013. By leveraging their advantages in networks and handset products, China Telecom and China Unicom will place even more pressure on China Mobile.

    iSuppli expects that China Mobile’s incremental market share will be stable at around 60 percent for the next few years.

    China Telecom and China Unicom will continue to subsidize mobile phones in order to provide attractive consumer prices.

    And both carriers will be supported by their parent companies, keeping them solvent. iSuppli also believes China Telecom and China Unicom will focus on long-term returns to gain more market share rather than on short-term profits.

  • Motorola Accelerates TD-LTE Commercialization with Success in Trials

    Motorola announced successful completion of its joint Over-the-Air (OTA) trial with operators as part of the collaborative Time Division Duplex Long-Term Evolution (TD-LTE) commercialization.

    According to Motorola, its key trial achievements include:
    • First company to complete download throughput up to 70 megabits per second (Mbps) in a 20 megahertz (MHz) bandwidth channel
    • Mobility and hand-over with live applications
    • Multi-User Equipment (UE) testing under one sector

    All trial results have been submitted to the LTE/System Architecture Evolution (SAE) Trial Initiative (LSTI).

    Motorola’s LTE solution is comprised of its OFDM broadband platform and a selection of radio options that include MIMO and smart antennas as well as its self-organizing network (SON) solution. The portfolio includes frame based-mounted radios, remote radio heads and tower top radios to support a variety of LTE deployment scenarios.

    In addition to the collaborative trials with operators, Motorola is also engaged with the TD-LTE trials initiated by China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) as part of its efforts to develop a globally competitive TD-LTE industry.

    Motorola’s Wireless Broadband Access Solutions (WBAS) Hangzhou team and Wideband Base Transceiver Systems (WBTS) China team have been working with Chinese operators for many years to get TD-LTE closer to market reality in China.

    “Motorola is committed to broadband and 4G developments, and supports both TD-LTE and Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) LTE. We’ve made significant progress in TD-LTE commercialization as demonstrated by these trials," said Dr. Mohammad Akhtar, vice president and general manager of Motorola China.

    Equipment involved in these trials is based on Motorola’s second-generation OFDM products including Motorola’s Base Band Unit (BBU) that supports TD-LTE, FDD-LTE and WiMAX, and features a Remote Radio Unit (RRU) that supports 2×2 Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO).

    “LTE is the next big technology in wireless networking and incorporates several key technologies such as smart antenna, all IP and OFDM to enable operators to deliver rich, high bandwidth, multimedia services,” said Sudhakar Ramakrishna, corporate vice president of Motorola.

    Earlier this year, Motorola deployed a live 700MHz LTE demonstration network in Las Vegas, replicating the successful 2.6GHz live LTE experience in Barcelona. During these two drive tours, visitors were driven around the streets to experience the performance of LTE in a real-life metropolitan RF environment.

  • Sohu Selects 3Com's H3C For Next-Generation Data Center


    3Com is to build a next-generation data center for Sohu, one of China’s premiere online community destinations.

    Sohu made its decision after a two-month field test of 3Com’s recently launched H3C data center solutions — including the S12500 Series core switch line and the S5800 Series 10-gigabit switch series.

    Sun Dehe, vice president of the H3C network product line, said Sohu was impressed with the performance levels and reliability the data center network products’ unified architecture delivered.

    He said the first third-generation interactive Chinese search engine launched by Sohu requires:

    • a data center platform that can support storage of 10 billion Web pages
    • a Web page update and rating system
    • high-performance, concurrent access to and from numerous server clusters
    • flexible expansion in years ahead

    Dehe said that since a traditional data center architecture could not meet these requirements, Sohu decided to utilize the H3C next-generation data center architecture for its new Internet data center (IDC) equipment room.

    "H3C had a long-term plan in mind when it began developing its next-generation data center solutions for enterprise customers," he said.

    "For example, our unified switching architecture enables users to more easily design future-oriented applications – a characteristic required of Sohu’s data center.

    "We believe more customers will adopt H3C next-generation data center solutions to take advantage of this and other technological breakthroughs to maximize the efficiency and performance of their data centers."

  • China VoIP & Digital Telecom Virtualization Project Receives Governmental Funds


    Jinan Yinquan Technology has announced that its data center virtualization technology project has received 500,000 yuan from Shandong Economic and Information Technology Committee.

    Following the award, the wholly owned subsidiary of China VoIP & Digital Telecom said it is well positioned to take full advantage of the tremendous economic growth currently being experienced in China.

    The company is currently marketing its NP Soft Switch system in China and is testing stages of other IT products.

    Li Kunwu, chairman and CEO of CVDT

    The Chinese government established the fund to award outstanding energy-saving industrial technology projects in Shandong Province in 2009.

    Li Kunwu, chairman and CEO of CVDT, said the virtualization technology solution provided by Yinquan is in full compliance with the conservation-oriented society and Green IT concepts advocated by the country.

    "Yinquan maintains a leading position in virtualization technology, and the government’s endorsement will accelerate our expansion in the virtualization market in 2009," he said.

    "Also, with the government’s support, industrializing virtualization in China will be expedited. I believe Yinquan should have bright growth prospects in virtualization."