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Housewives On Trial In China For Smuggling In iPhones
Quillem writes "Last year, Hong Kong residents were finding it hard to get their hands on the latest Apple iGadget even though supply was plentiful. An investigation revealed that most of the iPhones and iPads that made it into HK were being smuggled sans import duties into mainland China—where the devices were yet to be released—by housewives who were paid around USD 6 per smuggled gadget. Earlier this week, 25 of the suspected smugglers went on trial in Shenzhen city."
How do you smuggle in crap made in your country?
for just USD 6? sigh..
--whacky
Ah, roast scapegoat...
Talk about clickbait headlines... tfa says it's an $80,000,000 smuggling ring that's been busted...
This isn't some little old ladies smuggling a few iPhones in their suitcase for the price of a meal...
Seriously I can't help feeling like Apple propaganda is kind of sad now they are irrelevant. The iPhone is a failure in China and in current news its market share [as everywhere] is dropping YOY [its irrelevant] from 5.8% and by quarter from 6.0 down to 4.2 unlike Android which has gone YOY 46.8% and by quarter 82.8% to 90.1%...Android is outselling Apple 21:1
Don't make your opinion solely upon statistics and facts. You must consider the opinions of others, as well.
Please try to believe me when I say this, but the iPhone is a must-have gadget in China. It is a sign of wealth that you are able to own one. Most are not able to afford the iPhone, hence the high percentage of Android users over there.
I think you can compare Apple to a car manufacturer like BMW.
Enough with the marketing crap. Android phones at the at an average price of 1293 yuan are about $236 you get an Android Phone that has measurably better hardware than an iPhone for that money and subjectively better software [I would say years ahead].
And how much of the Android market constitutes such devices? There are probably many Android devices that are far closer to what was available in the US years ago. I suspect that these sell for for less than 1293 yuan and are more common.
Me rikey iPod very much. ah soo
Ignoring the racist slant. iPods [5.3 million this quarter] are simply stopped selling it is one of the reasons that Apple stock is in freefall.
Statistics without context do not necessarily represent facts.
No they are pretty much facts, These are smartphones in every sense of the word with an average price of 1393 yuan you get a serious phone. Apple are simply not worth the money at 4523 yuan.
So you are claiming there are no inexpensive Android phones in China that are comparable to what was sold in the US years ago? That sound quite unbelievable. Even 1300 yuan is too expensive for most Chinese. There are less expensive Android phones. Stats that don't differentiate between "new" Android designs and "old" Android designs do not represent facts. They represent advocacy.
Plus there are pesky little details about a declining market share representing a lack of supply rather than a lack of demand. Again, stats need a context. That is why in stats 101 phrases like "all other things being equal" are constantly used. Unless Android and iPhone have somewhat comparable supply and demand the stats are not truly indicating consumer preference.
It's not that the iPhone is a failure in china
Its exactly a failure in China, Android is outselling Apple 21:1 however you spin it. These are not people tied into 2 year contacts.
As for you comparing McDonalds to "Android" shame on you. These are on average 1393 yuan phones for that price you get measurably better hardware, and arguably better software. Its more popular because its *better value* not *cheaper* which is why Android share is increased to 90.1% and Apples has dropped to 4.2%. Maybe Apple should lose some of that ridiculous mark-up.
oh golden girls flaw copypaste troll, never leave us.
And how much of the Android market constitutes such devices? There are probably many Android devices that are far closer to what was available in the US years ago. I suspect that these sell for for less than 1293 yuan and are more common.
90.1% that is kind of the point. In the fastest *growing* market in the world. So no not old Androids new Androids. :)
You are confusing newly manufactured phones with phones using a "new" design, a modern design. Take the hardware available in the US several years ago. A phone using such a design could be manufactured and sold for far less than 1293 yuan. Something like a Nexus One with Android 2.1 rather than a Nexus 4 running Android 4.2.
Unless Android and iPhone have somewhat comparable supply and demand the stats are not truly indicating consumer preference.
Ignoring your hilarious and possibly racist argument that Chinese people are stupid and buy old designed phones over the new ones, while at the same time not understanding that 1393 yuan average is the reality...and represents 51% of the phone market...that is what they are paying.
The reality is Android phones are in demand...iPhone not so much, consumers pretty much decide with their money, and that is not going to Apple.
Did they steal the iPhones or something? What's the problem?
Does this have something to do with the anti-freedom bullshit known as intellectual property?
Ignoring the racist slant.
I see what you did there.
And yet Apple sells iPhones as fast as they are put on the shelves in China.
The whole point is not only do they not.
Nope, guess again. Again you assume sales are demand limited rather than supply limited.
iPhone 4S launch in China:
"I've been waiting here since yesterday afternoon, then this morning they say they won't sell," a man in his 20s told Reuters TV. "They broke customers' hearts."
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-16540681
"Even though Apple has yet to debut the iPhone 5 in mainland China, the phone has ostensibly sold out according to first-hand reports ... Apple is currently working hard to provide the handsets to tech-hungry consumers, as demand has outweighed the supply"
http://www.iphoneinformer.com/4438-iphone-5-already-sold-out-across-china/
"He said all of the stores he has visited in Hong Kong were sold out of the iPhone 5, and described the city as having "iPhone 5 fever.""
http://appleinsider.com/articles/12/10/08/iphone-5-fever-sweeps-hong-kong-as-mainland-china-awaits-apples-launch
USD 6? How much is that in CHF? Forget even Renminbi. I'm too ignorant to convert anything into my own currency and I demand to be disneyfied!
I hadn't the slightest objection to his spending his time planning massacres for the bourgeoisie... (P.G. Wodehouse)
'Learned this the hard way' meaning what exactly? Did you short Apple iPhones in China and loose a lot of money on it? Or did were you robbed of Multiple iPhones in China because its a must have gadget in China? Or what?
If I know anything about Chinese manufacturing, Android being free and open means that few people outside of China will be making a cent. Apple has a hold on the IP of their devices for now, the OS, software, and device support servers (iTunes probably being where most of the money is). Add to this that consumer devices usually end up taking a cost race to the bottom. Who will care when Chinese Android devices are 99% of the market, buggy as heck, probably hacked out of the box, but only cost $10.
I find it Ironic that supporting Android is a bit like supporting Microsoft software, the more successful it becomes, the less chance there is of making a living developing for it. Don't take me wrong, I like, use, and develop free software - but I don't see it paying the bills.
At least with iOS, there's a fair chance if you put out a good program you can make a bit back for it.
I wonder why so many people are buying the craps in the first place.
I mean, those craps don't come cheap, y'know?
No, I ain't using any Apple devices, my last Apple device was Apple Macintosh.
Muchas Gracias, Señor Edward Snowden !
Wow I think you have every cliche in there. Lets be honest Android market share is significantly higher everywhere, including the US and Europe and the Gap between them is getting worse. Android developer hirings have been higher than those for iOS for sometime and again that gap is increasing [regardless of what you think in your fantasy job].
Ironically pretending that Android is somehow inferior to iOS its farcical, or that its somehow buggy, is simply wishful thinking because you paid such a massive mark-up for your device, Ironically the "race to the bottom"...or capitalism, is great for consumers and the Chinese are having a smartphone experience better than yours for a fraction of the cost.
FYI Apple makes most of its money overcharging for its electronics, but it does make 30% on all content too, thank goodness its cartel was blocked and the rest of us can enjoy competitive pricing...or as you would say "race to the bottom"
"The Real Housewives of Hong Kong"
If you keep saying things like that here, Apple is gonna stop sponsoring (paying for) the apple.slashdot.org sub-domain. If that happens where will the iBots do their astroturfing?
You're right, Apple was so dumb not to see that people would eventually stop buying standalone MP3 players and start buying phones with media player capabilities. If they had been smart, they would have started selling phones five years ago when they saw the iPod market was in decline. If they had done that, they could probably be the worlds most valuable company by now.
Do we really still call them 'housewives' (itself a difficult and noble occupation) when they're professional smugglers?
You have an impressive 21 anti-Apple posts (so far) on this story alone. That's an amazing obsession for a company you called "irrelevant" in one of those posts.
So companies are in business to increase market share and not profit?
Why one without the other :) the two are rarely exclusive. In reality I argue consistently that chasing *short term profits* in a *mature* market is costing Apple now. The evidence of this is everywhere. Apples *only* saving grace is the markets are still growing.
Correct title:
Criminals On Trial In China For Smuggling In iPhones
No brain, no pain.
Ferrari or Mercedes are irrelevant in the auto world because Ford outsell them "21:1 (or more)"
Ferrari does not have to attract developers for its neiche market; Ferrari does not have to compete that have better hardware and software than it at better value; Ferrari doesn't have to rely on that market share to make deals with publishers, attract a 3rd party hardware ecosystem.
lets face it Apple is more http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_defunct_automobile_manufacturers_of_the_United_States
You're right, Apple was so dumb not to see that people would eventually stop buying standalone MP3 players and start buying phones with media player capabilities.
You mean like how Apple preserved their share of the tablet market instead of letting it slip to 50% in case producing a smaller tablet would cannibalise their current profits, rather than produce an embarrassing underspecced "me too" to an uninterested public, making their *drop* in sales this quarter for 17Million 13Million lead to taking a quarter value of the worlds most valuable company...oh wait!!
Apple is less and less relevant as a smartphone maker, but they are quite relevant as a patent troll, PR powerhouse, and company that regularly rips off other people's inventions.
And this is the first time that Apple ever saw seasonal declines. I wonder if Apple sells will decline after the Christmas quarter.
As Far as underspecceed. Someone hasn't seen Anandtechs benchmarks iod the Nexts 10 compared to the 10inch ipad.
Here is what your link says. Are you still convinced that net income wasn't down year over year for the same quarter?
I cannot stress my point strongly enough. I would love to discuss the Motorola takeover with someone. Its an incredibly interesting [off]topic, but the fact that you have taken a random chunk from the financial statements without providing context, and then lied about what I had said is a shame. You need to put in the time and effort; You are simply not good enough.
http://investor.google.com/earnings.html [google.com] look through it properly.
The bottom line is again I fail to see your point.
It should be completely obvious that they smuggled them back because they had information on yen that the Chinese dictator does not want to be public. It is also obvious that they intentionally limit the supply for the same reason, and that is why there is so much strife there, and we are getting more strife here. The truth about what goes on upon censorship slaps a "benevolent" dictator in the face, one way or another.
Smuggling is not a crime. Import duties are!