The following press releases and media reports about Chinese companies were carried on December 5. To view a full article or story, click on the link next to the headline.
══════════════════════════════════════════════════════
China Issues 4G Network Licences For TD-LTE To 3 Major Telcos (English article)
Disney In China Digital Entertainment Venture With BesTV (Shanghai: 600637) (English article)
The following press releases and media reports about Chinese companies were carried on November 15. To view a full article or story, click on the link next to the headline.
══════════════════════════════════════════════════════
Spy Scandal Weighs On US Tech Firms In China, Cisco (Nasdaq: CSCO) Takes Hit (English article)
Suntech (NYSE: STP) Confirms 9.5 Bln Yuan In Debt, CDB Largest Creditor (English article)
The microblogging realm has been buzzing these past few days with speculation on a brief China visit late last week by Google (Nasdaq: GOOG) Chairman Eric Schmidt, who checked out counterfeit goods at a gadget market in Beijing’s Zhongguancun high-tech area. Equally interesting was the inclusion in Schmidt’s group of 2 former Google executives who now work for Xioami, the fast-rising smartphone maker that hopes to someday become China’s equivalent of Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL). Read Full Post…
I usually have more criticism than praise for China’s bureaucratic telecoms regulator, but today I have to commend the Ministry of Industry and InformationTechnology (MIIT) for a ground-breaking move that other countries would be wise to follow in the fast-moving smartphone space. That move will require smartphone makers to list all the apps that come pre-installed on their models, much the way that food makers list the ingredients that their products contain. While the move looks good for consumers and the industry’s overall development, smartphone makers are unlikely to embrace this measure that will tell consumers about all the unwanted and often invasive apps that come included on their new smartphones. Read Full Post…
China smartphone market quickly becoming saturated
Let’s end the week with a look at some new data on China’s cellphone market, which is quickly becoming saturated with cheap smartphones cranked out by a crowded field of domestic companies. The rush by Chinese firms into the smartphone market over the last 2 years is typical of the herd mentality one often sees in China, almost always leading to classic boom-bust cycles. The smartphone sector was already showing signs of overheating when media reported during the summer that inventory was building up at many smartphone makers. Now the latest figures are showing that sales are slowing sharply for many of those firms, hinting a bust could come soon for players that rely heavily on the domestic market. Read Full Post…
China’s unruly markets for emerging sectors are famous for Trojan Horses, which often come as hidden traps in many products and services that ultimately harm consumers. The nation’s tourism authority just launched a new law to eliminate such traps in the travel sector, and now we’re getting word that the telecoms regulator is preparing a similar move against hidden and sometimes malicious apps that often come pre-installed on many new smartphones. This new crackdown will help to rid the market of such unwanted apps, such as ones that provide users’ personal data to third-parties without the users’ knowledge or consent. But the move could also ultimately drive up smartphone prices and perhaps even drive some companies out of business. Read Full Post…
Local media are buzzing with word that China’s telecoms regulator has just approved 4 smartphones for use on the nation’s upcoming 4G networks, implying the long-awaited issue of 4G licenses could be imminent. But equally interesting is a separate report that says the number of newly approved phones is actually 5, and that the fifth phone was a version of Apple’s (Nasdaq: AAPL) new iPhone 5S that can operate on networks using a homegrown Chinese technology called TD. That report says Apple requested its iPhone approval be kept secret; but if true, it means we could soon see announcement of a long-awaited tie-up between the US tech giant and leading Chinese mobile carrier China Mobile (HKEx: 941; NYSE: CHL). Read Full Post…
I’ve been saying for a while now that China’s booming smartphone market will undergo a major correction soon due to huge oversupply, and now we’re starting to see the first signs of stress from 2 major players. Among domestic manufacturers, media are reporting that struggling giant ZTE (HKEx: 763; Shenzhen: 000063) is preparing an overhaul of its handset business to improve its performance in China. Meantime, faded Taiwanese superstar HTC (Taipei: 2498) is also announcing its own major overhaul and making bold predictions about its plans to become a top player in China. Read Full Post…
I’ve been reporting on China’s cellphone market long enough to know that change can come suddenly and without much warning, and that a superstar one day might be struggling for survival just a year or two later. Such transformations often come in waves, and it appears the newest shake-up could be coming as consumers start to shun prestigious high-end smartphones in favor of booming lower-end models that perform many of the same functions for a fraction of the price. China’s slowing economy could cause the trend to accelerate, since many consumers are now looking for ways to cut back their spending due to uncertainty about the future. Read Full Post…
The inevitable price wars may finally be coming to China’s smartphone market, in an all-too-common pattern seen time and again for popular new products. Media have been so busy reporting about how China will become the world’s biggest smartphone market this year that no one has really stepped back to examine the phenomenon and why it’s happening. At least one media is finally doing that, and reporting that inventories are suddenly building up to dangerous levels at the homegrown smartphone makers that are the main force behind China’s recent smartphone boom. Read Full Post…
I’m feeling a bit cranky and contrarian today, so I’m going to be somewhat bold and give the following response to yet the latest headlines trumpeting China’s passing the US to become the world’s largest smartphone market: Who cares? I’ll admit that my response to this development is perhaps a bit unfair, since China’s attainment of the world’s smartphone title is certainly an important milestone for a country where even traditional wired telephone service was still rare as recently as 20 years ago.
I’m feeling a bit cranky and contrarian today, so I’m going to be somewhat bold and give the following response to yet the latest headlines trumpeting China’s passing the US to become the world’s largest smartphone market: Who cares? I’ll admit that my response to this development is perhaps a bit unfair, since China’s attainment of the world’s smartphone title is certainly an important milestone for a country where even traditional wired telephone service was still rare as recently as 20 years ago.
