iPhone Cruncher

Apple is sued for allegedly selling refurbished iPhone handsets as new in China, which is a pretty damn big deal if it’s true. I’d like to think there is more to this story, so hopefully we’ll get to the bottom of it sooner than later. But I can’t imagine what it must be like to take home a brand-spankin’ new iPhone and opening it up and using it only to realize that it isn’t a fresh virgin from the factory.

What’s worse is needing Apple Genius Bar service or other help and realizing that your warranty isn’t quite as long as it should be. BGR reports:

The suits both allege that Apple Store locations sold refurbished iPhones to the complainants under the guise that they were new devices. Only when the customers discovered that their manufacturer warranties expired less than one year from their respective dates of purchase did they realize something was awry. To make matters worse, Wang says that when one such customer went back to the Apple Store to confront them, the staff there allegedly tried to trick her by modifying her warranty expiration date.

Others are apparently coming forward with the same issue, stating that they thought they were buying new iPhones when it turned out they were being given refurbished or refreshed units.

It seems like shady business practice to sell refurbished iPhones as new, but again we ought to wait about what Apple has to say regarding the matter. It just doesn’t seem like the sort of thing a company would do in order to risk damaging its reputation and business.

What do you think? Could the problem be limited to only Apple, or is it possible that some middlemen are involved in this scheme? Or is it possible that this is some kind of scam from the user’s end? Let us know what you think in the comments below.

About The Author

Marc Flores

Marc has been a mobile fanatic for the better part of a decade and has had more devices pass through

Article source: Read More

Motorola Mobility Announces Second-Quarter Financial Results

Second Quarter Financial Highlights

Net revenues of $3.3 billion, up 28 percent from second quarter 2010
GAAP net loss of $0.19 per share compared to net earnings of $0.27 per share in second quarter 2010
Non-GAAP earnings of $0.09 per share compared to $0.30 loss in second quarter 2010
Mobile Devices revenues of $2.4 billion, up 41 percent from second quarter 2010; GAAP operating loss of $85 million; non-GAAP operating loss of $31 million
Shipped 11.0 million mobile devices, including 4.4 million smartphones and 440,000 tablets
Home revenues of $907 million, up 2 percent from second quarter 2010; GAAP operating earnings of $62 million; non-GAAP operating earnings of $90 million
Click here for printable press release and financial tables.

LIBERTYVILLE, Ill. – July 28, 2011 – Motorola Mobility Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: MMI) today reported net revenues of $3.3 billion in the second quarter of 2011, up 28 percent from the second quarter of 2010. The GAAP net loss in the second quarter of 2011 was $56 million, or $0.19 per share, compared to net earnings of $80 million, or $0.27 per share, in the second quarter of 2010. On a non-GAAP basis, the net earnings in the second quarter of 2011 were $26 million, or $0.09 per share, compared to a loss of $87 million, or $0.30 per share, in the second quarter of 2010.

Total cash at the end of the quarter was $3.2 billion and includes cash, cash equivalents and cash deposits, and operating cash flow was breakeven for the quarter.

Details on non-GAAP adjustments and the use of non-GAAP measures are included later in this press release and in the financial tables.

“In the second quarter, Mobile Devices launched several new smartphones in the U.S. and markets around the world. Revenues grew over 40 percent driven largely by Latin America and China where sales more than doubled year over year. Our Home business delivered another strong performance, and we introduced several innovative products and services for next generation multi-screen video solutions,” said Sanjay Jha, chairman and chief

Article source: Read More

Unicom has informed the public on their plans of launching Apple’s latest iPhone. It would be released next month in the world’s largest mobile market, state-run media said Tuesday.
Apple also has settled to let China Unicom, the country’s second-largest mobile operator, distribute the iPad tablet computer in China,. The source was released by Caixin media group said, citing an unidentified source from China Unicom.No timetable has been set for the iPad launch, the report said.
China Unicom has said beforehand it is in talks with Apple to sell the iPhone 4 and the iPad, which have commence around the world to much display and are already available in China’s flourishing grey market for Apple products.
The company started offering the iPhone 3GS model with wireless Internet capability earlier this month, with Apple’s Beijing store selling out of the phone on the first day, Caixin said.
he highly anticipated release of the iPhone in China — which has 687 million wireless subscribers, more than twice the population of the U.S. — is expected to be a boost for both Apple and Unicom, one of three Chinese state-owned telecommunications carriers. Still, the two companies face challenges to realizing the iPhone’s potential in China, including competition from similar devices, and the companies left several key questions about pricing and other details unanswered Friday.

The release of the iPhone in China could turbocharge overseas growth for what is already Apple’s fastest-growing product. China is the world’s largest mobile market by subscribers, with some 687 million subscribers. That compares with more than 270 million subscribers in the U.S.

An official at China Unicom told AFP he could not confirm the deals.

Apple opened its second store in China on Saturday which drawled crowds of all ages as early as 5 am. Some people drove several hours or flew in from different provinces in china for a chance to be there on the opening of the Apple store. Many hoped to catch a glimpse of the iPhone 4 or of Steve Jobs, but were disappointed.

Bystanders were interview and said:

“I didn’t come to see a specific product. I just see it as a chance for us Apple fans to party,” said Penguin, owns a Macbook and an iPhone.

Apple’s retail stores are known to create buzz and serve as successful a marketing tool for the brand in its home market, which has left many wondering why it took so long for Apple to open more of the stores in China, the world’s second largest PC market after the U.S. According to IDC, Apple computers still make up less than 1% of PC unit shipments, and iPhones make up less than 1% of handset sales in China.

Those dints stop a total of 150fans from waiting overnight to be among the first to go into the Apple store. One 20-year-old customer from Zhejiang province took ka buss to Shanghai last night with his friends, hoping to see the iPhone 4. “I guess it may not be available in the store, but it was still worth coming. I came to experience the atmosphere and the culture!” he said.

The building is made entirely of glass, similar to Apple’s flagship New York City store on Fifth Avenue. It has a glass cube entrance that leads customers underground to a space covering some 1,500 square meters, bigger than Apple’s first store in Beijing, which opened two years ago.

Apple said it expects to open a second store in Shanghai, but an opening time has not yet been released. The company has said it plans to open 25 new Apple stores in China by the end of 2011, but gave no additional details on those stores at the opening.

After much controversy and waiting, Apple’s iPhone will finally be available in China starting October. This developed after Apple and China Unicorn reached an accord regarding the authorized distribution of the popular iPhone 3G in the mainland.

News about the iPhone venturing into China broke out the past months and after many considered the effort futile, everything has been finally settled. With the deal, Apple now enters one of the biggest mobile markets known today.

Chinese users will get the iPhone 3G with 8GB for $365 with a 2-year contract and a monthly rate of $27 (minimum). The Wi-Fi function will be disabled initially but may be added in the future, along with China’s homegrown WAPI (WLAN Authentication and Privacy Infrastructure) standard.

The iPhone 3GS is expected to follow suit as soon as the first batch of iPhones are officially distributed to Chinese natives. It will be interesting to see how Dell will react to Apple’s move with its China-only smartphone “mini 3i”, which is neither priced nor dated yet.

(Source) 163.com via Mobile Crunch