Apple has pressured the Chinese smartphone maker into halting production and freezing sales of its M8 smartphone due to alleged patent violations.

For years, Meizu has been producing phones with a similar look and feel to Apple’s iPhone. Earlier this week, Meizu CEO Jack Wong reportedly expressed frustration over Apple lawyers using “unreasonable negotiation tactics” when dealing with Meizu, according to Engadget.

Wong announced on Meizu’s online forums this week that the company would stop sales of the M8, due in part to Apple’s efforts to enforce its patents through China’s Intellectual Property Office, Electronista reports. The company’s next-generation M9 smartphone could also be delayed if the local government moves to shut down factories.

With Apple aggressively going after the Chinese market, it will need to protect its intellectual property. Some manufacturers in China are quick to copy designs of popular devices, often selling them as ‘knock-offs’ on the grey market.

Apple’s brand recognition in China has been steadily improving. Sales of the iPhone 4 in China appear to be healthy, topping 100,000 in the first few days after launch, with over 100,000 more pre-orders to be fulfilled in the month of October. In February, the Cupertino, Calif., company revealed plans to open 25 retail stores in China in the next two years. Apple’s third and fourth Chinese retail stores opened to long lines on Sept. 25, the same day as the iPhone 4 launch.
Apple forces Meizu to halt sales of iPhone-lookalike

China Unicom announced Sunday that it was having trouble meeting demand, according to a MarketWatch report. This year’s iPhone 4 launch in China is an impressive turnaround from last year’s muted launch. The official launch of the iPhone in October 2009 saw just 5,000 buyers in the first week after launch.

Apple promised more shipments in the near future. “More iPhones will be available soon and customers should check back with their local store or online for updates on availability,” Apple spokeswoman Carolyn Wu said, according to MarketWatch.

In a statement Sunday, China Unicom said it had sold 60,000 (Google Translation) units on the first day of availability after receiving over 200,000 preorders.

Over 40,000 of the sales went to individual customers, and an additional 10,000 went to direct distribution bulk orders. China Unicom began taking preorders for the smartphone on September 17 at 10 a.m, the same day the iPad went on sale in China.

Outside Apple’s new Xidan Joy City retail store in Beijing, over a thousand fans lined up Saturday to purchase the iPhone 4.
iPhone 4 demand outstrips supply in China

A new report claims that Pegatron is set to begin “volume production” of a CDMA-version iPhone 4 in November.

Electronista was first to report Friday that industry sources had notified Digitimes of a November start for production of a CDMA iPhone 4. Sources said shipments of the smartphone from Taiwanese hardware manufacturer Pegatron will likely reach “3-4 million units in the first three months, and 10 million by mid-2011.”

Friday’s report is mostly in line with earlier rumors. In June, Digitimes reported that Pegatron had received orders from Apple for the CDMA iPhone 4.

“Pegatron will also start shipping a CDMA version of the iPhone 4 to Apple in the fourth quarter and is currently using its plants in Shanghai, China to produce the products, the sources noted,” the June report said.

Bloomberg corroborated the rumors later in June when it reported that Verizon was expected to begin selling the iPhone in January 2011.

On Wednesday, an analyst with Susquehanna Financial Group told investors that overseas suppliers were preparing to build 3 million CDMA iPhones in December in preparation for an early 2011 launch.

On the other hand, Verizon CEO Ivan Seidenberg expressed hope Thursday that Verizon will eventually sell the iPhone for its long-term evolution 4G network, but gave no indication that the iPhone was coming to its current-generation CDMA network. Verizon is on track to launch its LTE network in 30 U.S. cities by the end of 2010.

Analysts have disagreed on the effect that a Verizon iPhone will have on both Verizon’s and AT&T’s profits. Credit Suisse raised its price target for AT&T this week after calculating that AT&T iPhone subscribers switching to Verizon would not significantly harm the company’s bottom line.
Pegatron rumored to begin CDMA iPhone 4 production in November

Australian blogger and Microsoft enthusiast Long Zheng has an impressive resume, having created a slick Twitter app, an instant version of Bing, and a well-regarded blog.

(Credit:
Ina Fried/CNET)

SAN FRANCISCO–Long Zheng has had what would be a pretty impressive last couple of years for anyone at Microsoft.

In one 24-hour period last April, the 22-year-old built a version of Bing that offers instant results quite similar to the instant search results that Google introduced last week. He also created Metrotwit, a slick Twitter client for Windows using the Metro styling used in
Windows Phone 7. All the while, he has maintained a well regarded Microsoft blog, I Started Something.

But Zheng doesn’t work for Microsoft. He’s a hobbyist. His impetus for building Metrotwit was that he wanted to try out Microsoft’s Windows Presentation Foundation to see how straightforward it is. As for the search project, he said he had never built a Web application using a public API (application programming interface).

“If something new comes out, at least I check it out,” said Zheng, who was in town last week for the launch of Internet Explorer 9. “I try to understand it, get a grasp of the fundamentals at least.”

What’s more, Zheng isn’t even a computer science guy, having gotten his degree last year in business from an Australian university.

Zheng was born in China, where he played with his first computer at age 7 or 8. In 1997, at age 10, he moved to Australia, without speaking a word of English, though he quickly picked it up in through an immersion program for new immigrants.

“Fortunately in Australia there’s a lot of really good programs for children coming over,” he said.

Zheng has since mixed his studies with his love of computers and his interest in all things Microsoft. As for his hobbies, Zheng isn’t sure whether they might some day turn into a business. With Metrotwit, for example, Zheng said he is more interested in the technical challenges than turning a profit.

“We have a few ideas on how we can try and add some monetization strategies,” Zheng said. “But currently we are just trying to make a really cool application for Windows.”

The question I have is why it appears this Australian business major is more interested in creating consumer programs using Microsoft’s Windows Presentation Foundation than the company that created it. I’m still shocked–as is Zheng–that years after its debut, we still have yet to see any real killer apps created on the graphics foundation that debuted with Windows Vista and continues in
Windows 7.

Most of what has been show, Zheng said, are splashy demos, often from big name companies, that make headlines at tech conferences but rarely see the light of day.

“We wanted to build something that wasn’t a tech demo,” Zheng said of Metrotwit. “We just wanted to make something practical as well as elegant.”

Zheng admits being a little surprised Microsoft never ever ran with his instant search concept.

“I thought that maybe Bing would at least see it was interesting and try to do something with it,” he said. But after a year, nothing really happened. “I didn’t really contact them either so it might have been my fault as well.”

But his app, which is still running on his Web site, shows that its entirely possible to create an instant search tool using Bing, even with just the public APIs. Plus, he said, “The performance wasn’t too bad.”

And while Bing might yet add such a concept, Zheng laments that they have lost the chance to be first. “Unfortunately now, it might make people have that Microsoft doubt,” he said. “Oh, they copied Google.”

So, I had to ask. Has Microsoft ever tried to hire you?

No, Zheng says, though Bing product manager Stefan Weitz did note in a USA Today interview that Zheng’s stock at the company rose after the Google Instant introduction.

Zheng says he’s not sure if he would want to work at Microsoft, though he has considered the prospect.

“It depends on the position I guess,” he said. “Because I am not a computer science guy, I wouldn’t have much luck programming, but trying to bring it altogether, the design and programming, like I do with all these projects I do, might be kind of interesting.”

That said, he’s not sure he’s a big company type.

“I definitely like the start-up idea more than (to) go working for a big company,” Zheng said. “It’s very much in my nature to do something different all the time.”

Why doesn’t Microsoft hire this guy?

A report by MarketWatch, citing the Chinese Caixin media group, said a China Unicom source acknowledged that iPhone 4 will ship in the world’s largest market shortly, followed by the Chinese release of iPad.

The two products won’t be launched at the same time however, and no timeframe was given for the iPad launch.

China Unicom just began selling a WiFi enabled iPhone 3GS earlier this month after Chinese regulators approved the model for sale in July.

China had earlier banned the sale of WiFi products in an effort to promote its own alternative WAPI wireless networking standard, but later relented.

Apple opened its second retail store in China this summer after revealing plans to open 25 new stores in the country.

The company has experienced major new growth in China; Apple’s chief operations officer Tim Cook reported 144 percent growth in the country in the most recent quarterly earnings conference call.
Apple set to launch iPhone 4 in China early next month

So far in the Chinese drywall saga, nobody has admitted liability. Let’s be honest, in a raft of lawsuits with an estimated total of billions of dollars, who is?
The only pure victims are the homeowners. They are being left high and dry as their homes deteriorate around them. It isn’t just the property or its value either. There is health to think about too. Many homeowners are claiming to be suffering from health issues as a result of the fumes being given off. While this has yet to be scientifically confirmed, subjective and anecdotal evidence certainly points to a connection between the drywall and health issues.

That isn’t to say the construction companies are sitting pretty though. Many of them have found they have inadvertently installed this material into properties they worked on during the period. For some, that is a LOT of properties. The material was imported during the property boom, and during that time there were several hurricanes, including Katrina, which increased demands on construction and materials. Many Chinese Drywall Repair companies have sprung up to try and make a fast buck off this problem.

The Chinese drywall was seen by the suppliers as a quick way to alleviate the problem and keep the process moving. It is estimated that over five hundred million pounds of Chinese drywall was imported between 2004 and 2007 and that it found its way into over one hundred thousand homes and properties.

It isn’t just residential homes though, the material was used in mid and high rises as well as commercial property. While most of the headlines have understandably revolved around homeowners and taken the human interest angle, there are also businesses and livelihoods at stake. Not only are the construction firms at risk, but any commercial properties with Chinese drywall are also. Not only can firms not compel employees to work in the buildings because of health and safety concerns, but in the worst situations the building may become uninhabitable.

The buildings, whether residential or commercial are suffering damage as a result of this situation. Any made of copper and metal is at risk of corrosion, air conditioning breaks down, any machinery or appliances with copper are corroding and the buildings wiring is also breaking down very quickly.

If the home or business owner files a suit, they can’t repair the property because they would be destroying evidence, and can’t use it if the problem is bad enough. Not everyone has the capital needed to move somewhere else while the situation is addressed. There aren’t too many alternatives in these situations.

The gas given off by the drywall is harmful to health but has yet to be scientifically proven to do so. Symptoms include headaches, eye irritation, shortness of breath, and many other symptoms.

For the most part, this situation is unfortunately in the hands of the lawyers. The class action sees light in September 2010, and the thousands of individual suits will join the queue in their local courts. While the financial costs are being thrashed out in the full glare of society, the emotional cost will be borne alone by the people involved.