Apple is world's second largest company by market cap

It doesn't seem all that long ago that Apple was in danger of going out of business yet now they are the world's second largest company (in terms of market cap) and not too far away from snatching the No.1 position held by Exxon.

Apple, maker of the Mac, the iPod, iPhone and iPad, surpassed Chinese oil giant PetroChina during trading on Thursday to become the world's second-largest company in terms of market value.
Apple shares hit a record 292.76 dollars during trading on Wall Street, giving the California gadget-maker a market capitalization of 266 billion dollars, more than PetroChina's 265 billion dollars.

The most amazing element of all this is how companies like Microsoft, IBM, Intel and Nokia, formerly one of the world's largest technology company, has lost so much of its market share and mind share. Guess whatever that goes up must come down and Apple would need to continue designing the best products with best in class user experience to stay on top. And the one formula that really turn the table for Apple is their way of marketing, Steve Jobs and team are simply the best story teller in the world.

Source : Yahoo News

iPhone 4 - Total Sell-Out at China Unicom on the 1st day

China Unicom has stopped taking orders for the iPhone 4 after being swamped by customers seeking the new phone when it went on sale last Saturday. 200,000 orders were booked on the same day with 40,000 phones with contracts sold.

It took Unicom, the sole official supplier of the popular smartphone nearly six weeks to the sell the first 100,000 iPhones after they went on sale last year thanks to the quick launch by Apple.

Unicom is selling the phone for prices starting from 226 yuan ($33.70) a month for an 8GB phone with a two-year contract up to to 386 yuan for a 32GB device. Without contracts, the 16GB phone sells for 4,999 yuan and the 32GB for 5,999.

IDG's video report of the iPhone 4's launch in China.

iPhone 4 will be on sale in China today

Apple will start selling its iPhone 4 in mainland China from 8am starting today! The new iPhone 4 products will be sold at the Apple Stores at Shanghai's Hong Kong Plaza, Beijing's Xidan Joy City and all China Unicom's retail stores.

Customers who buy an iPhone 4 at Apple Store in Shanghai and Beijing will gain Apple's Personal Setup services, which will help customers set up their email accounts; download applications at Apple Stores; and help them learn skills to start and run these applications. In addition, special lectures will be given at Apple Stores to help customers learn more about how best to utilize the features of the iPhone 4.

iPhone 4 sold at Apple Stores are 16GB version with the retail price of CNY4,999 and 32GB version with the retail price of CNY5,999. These products are sold without any telecom contract. However, iPhone 4 sold at China Unicom's retail stores will be sold with a two-year contract.

Apple wont be making the same mistakes in the past with the delay in launching previous iPhone. I m sure the uptake of the new iPhone 4 will be huge with the official launch. Congrats Apple.

iPad set for China debut today

Apple will start selling the Wi-Fi version of the iPad in China today. The tablet will be sold through Apple stores and other retail outlets, with prices ranging from 3,988 yuan ($590) for the 16GB version and 5,588 for the 64GB model. There is no mention where Apple will launch its 3G version in China.

The device, which began selling in the US in April, has been available in limited volumes through gray market channels in China for several months at a much higher price.

iPhone app lets consumers 'try on' real watches

Canadian Nuevo Watches offers consumers to "try on" its range of watches by downloading an iPhone app. Compatible with the iPhone and the 4th generation iPod touch, the Nuevo app from Monokromik lets users try on and select watches in the Neuvo watch collection without physically touching them.

The free app is available for download from the iTunes store; it requires iOS 3.1.3 or later. Once it's downloaded, users can virtually try on any of Montreal-based Nuevo's four CAD 45 watches, which come in black, bronze, gold or silver. The watches are only sold online, which makes the app especially useful.

China Internet Status Report 2010

A comprehensive status report on China Internet which is based on CNNIC data.

China internet status 2010

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Source : China Internet Watch blog

Gartner: Android on track to take over Mobile OS top position

Google’s Android could be on the verge of becoming the world’s largest smartphone operating system by 2014, according to new figures from Gartner. The research firm forecasts that by this point there will be less than one percentage point between Symbian (30.2 percent) and Android (29.6 percent) in terms of OS sales market share. Moreover, Gartner forecasts that Android will overtake RIM's BlackBerry to become the second-largest mobile OS (after Symbian) by the end of 2010. This is almost two years earlier than Gartner had earlier predicted.

A Symphonic Orchestra on iPad

The iPad Orchestra is an ensemble of four musical players. The t-shirts they wear during concerts are marked with the musical instrument they are each playing on their iPads. These instruments consist of the clarinet, cello, flute and violin. The downloaded musical application is called ‘Seline HD.’