Foxconn, the manufacturer of Apple’s iPhones, iPads and Macs, plans to invest $210 million in a new Apple production line in China’s east Jiangsu province in October, according to a report from China Daily. The 40,000 square meter plant will employ as many as 35,800 workers and will be located in Huai’an City. The office of Taiwan Affairs of Huai’an City confirmed that the plant will house a production line for Apple devices and is expected to output between $949 million to $1.1 billion a year. The report did not indicate which Apple products would be assembled at the new plant, however.

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Last week, Apple and Proview initiated talks in an attempt to resolve an ongoing legal dispute over the iPad trademark, and the Chinese company is confident that it will receive a settlement offer from Apple, the Associated Press reports. “It is likely that we will settle out of court. The Guangdong High Court is helping to arrange it and the court also expects to do so,” said Ma Dongxiao, a lawyer for Proview. “Actually Proview always expected to settle out of court from the beginning. I don’t know if Apple has changed its attitude, but I believe that the key point now is the price.” In a previous statement, Apple claimed it would never “knowingly abuse someone else’s trademarks,” and said that Proview “still owe a lot of people a lot of money, they are now unfairly trying to get more from Apple for a trademark we already paid for.” Fu Shuangjian, the Deputy Director of China’s State Administration for Industry and Commerce, however, has already stated that Proview is still the legitimate owner of the iPad trademark in the country. If the companies cannot reach a settlement, the Guangdong High Court will rule over the matter.

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Apple and Proview have initiated talks in an attempt to resolve an ongoing legal dispute over the iPad trademark, IDG News Services reported on Friday. Earlier this week, a Chinese high court recommended the two companies find a way to mediate the ongoing dispute. The mediation talks were voluntary, however both companies agreed to meet. “I think there is some hope the talks will lead to a resolution,” Zhao Zhanling, a legal expert on China’s information technology law, said, adding that if the negotiations were to fail, the higher court will be forced to move ahead and make a ruling. Apple and Proview have been locked in a high-profile legal dispute over whether or not Apple has the right to use the use the iPad name in China and elsewhere. If Apple were to lose the case, the Cupertino-based company could be banned from selling the iPad in China. Apple maintains that it licensed the trademark from Proview in 2009, however the Chinese company claims the transaction in question is invalid.

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Apple, alongside a Chinese environmental group, will audit one of its supplier’s factories in China for the first time, IDG News Service reported on Monday. The Beijing-based Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs announced that Apple had agreed to the joint audit, which will be carried out at the end of the month. Apple will hire an independent auditing firm that will investigate the pollution created by one of its circuit boards manufacturers. The audit will be a pilot project meant for one factory, but the environmental group hopes Apple will agree to more joint audits in the future. “We think this is a very positive step made by Apple,” said Wang Jing Jing, vice director of IPE. “We hope this won’t simply be a pilot project, but that more open inspections will continue.” The results of the audit will be made available online later this year.

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Google co-founder Sergey Brin said during an interview published on Sunday that Apple and Facebook pose serious threats to Internet freedom because of their closed approaches to software. While speaking with The Guardian, Brin said there are ”very powerful forces that have lined up against the open Internet on all sides and around the world. I am more worried than I have been in the past. It’s scary.” The executive pointed to the “walled-garden” philosophy that sees companies like Apple and Facebook maintain tight control over third-party software on their respective platforms as the cause for his concerns. Read on for more.

Brin voiced concerns that this closed approach prevents companies like Google from accessing the information stored on the companies’ networks, possibly revealing one of the main causes for his position. ”There’s a lot to be lost,” Brin said. “For example, all the information in apps, that data is not crawlable by web crawlers. You can’t search it.”

The Google co-founder acknowledged that there are much more serious threats to freedom on the Web than his company’s two nearest rivals, however — namely the efforts of countries like China, Saudi Arabia and Iran to censor and restrict access to the Internet. Brin also noted that the entertainment industry’s anti-piracy efforts stand to impede Internet freedom.

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Google’s Android platform was the most popular mobile operating system in the world’s largest market for mobile phones last year. The platform’s market share grew nearly 35%, capturing 68.4% of the mobile market in China, Reuters reported on Tuesday citing research from Analysys International. Chinese Android manufacturers ZTE and Huawei helped propel the platform to new heights by offering low-cost devices via local wireless carriers. Google’s success came at the expense of Nokia, whose Symbian operating system share was cut in half to 18.7%. Apple’s iOS market share rose from 4.1% in the first quarter of 2011 to 5.7% in the fourth quarter, but the Cupertino-based company is expected to fare far better in 2012 due to high demand and new partnerships.

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The hacker group “Anonymous operations” plans to launch further attacks on Chinese government-run websites to protest what it believes to be strict and unfair laws. The loosely knit group launched various cyberattacks on China’s goverment last week and warned that further attacks were on the horizon. “First we want to alert the Chinese government that we aren’t afraid, and we are going to show the truth and fight for justice,” Anonymous hacker “f0ws3r” said to Reuters, adding that more serious attacks are coming against Chinese websites. “Yes, we are planning more attacks, a few at a time,” the hacker said. The group is looking to “take down the Great Firewall of China,” which blocks access to Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and many other websites. The Anonymous China team consist of 10 to 12 hackers, most of whom are not based in China, and has “hundreds” of translators who have helped the group hack various Chinese websites, f0ws3r said. The hacker declined to give further details on the next round of attacks, although he did say the group may hit bigger targets this time around.

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Notorious hacker group “Anonymous” on Thursday claimed responsibility for attacks on several government Web sites in China. The group has launched various Internet attacks on the country over the past week in response to what it believes to be strict and unfair laws. “All these years, the Chinese Communist government has subjected its People to unfair laws and unhealthy processes,” the group wrote on one Chinese website. “Dear Chinese government, you are not infallible, today websites are hacked, tomorrow it will be your vile regime that will fall.” The group goes on to warn that further attacks are on the horizon. “So expect us because we do not forgive, never. What you are doing today to your Great People, tomorrow will be inflicted to you. Nothing will stop us, nor your anger nor your weapons. You do not scare us, because you cannot afraid an idea.” Anonymous also acknowledged the Chinese people directly, telling them to remain optimistic, “Don’t loose hope, the revolution begins in the heart.”

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Nokia on Wednesday unveiled its first Windows Phone for the Chinese market, the Lumia 800C. The handset is slated to launch in April exclusively on China Telecom. “We’re excited to introduce our first Lumia smartphone, the Nokia 800C, to this important market with our exclusive launch partner, China Telecom. Working closely together, we’ve created a compelling, locally relevant experience on the Nokia 800C especially tailored for people in China,” Nokia CEO Stephen Elop said. The Lumia 800c features a 3.7-inch AMOLED ClearBlack curved display, with a 1.4 GHz single-core processor, hardware acceleration and a separate processor for graphics. The device is also equipped with an 8-megapixel Carl Zeiss camera and 16GB of internal storage, and it will be available in cyan or black. The Lumia 800C will be offered without a contract for 3599 Chinese yuan, equal to roughly $570. Nokia’s press release can be found after the break.

China Telecom and Nokia launch first CDMA Windows Phone in China

Stunning new Lumia smartphone, Nokia 800C, makes everyday moments extraordinary for China Telecom subscribers

Beijing, China – Today China Telecom and Nokia announced the Nokia 800C, the first CDMA Windows Phone in China and Nokia’s first Lumia phone for the world’s largest smartphone market. The Nokia 800C combines head-turning design and the fastest way to connect to the people, places and things that matter most, in an experience uniquely tailored for people in China on the country’s leading 3G network.

“We’re excited to introduce our first Lumia smartphone, the Nokia 800C, to this important market with our exclusive launch partner, China Telecom. Working closely together, we’ve created a compelling, locally relevant experience on the Nokia 800C especially tailored for people in China,” said Stephen Elop, CEO of Nokia.

Wang Xiaochu, Chairman of China Telecom, expressed his enthusiasm for Nokia Lumia: “This grand launch for China’s first CDMA Windows Phone represents our optimism and excitement for the future of Windows Phone and Nokia Lumia in China.”

The partnership between China Telecom and Nokia extends beyond the Nokia 800C with the addition of Nokia’s most affordable Lumia smartphone, the Nokia Lumia 610 also arriving in a CDMA variant to China Telecom’s portfolio in Q2 2012. The Nokia 610C is targeted at a more youthful audience and provides a perfect introduction to Windows Phone with access to the same core signature experiences as the rest of the Lumia range in a package optimized for quality.

Nokia 800C

The Nokia 800C makes it easy to stay in touch with the people that matter most, get instant access to the Web and all the top applications in the Windows Phone Marketplace. Offered by China Telecom in black and cyan, the Nokia 800C features a reduced body design flowing seamlessly into the 3.7″ AMOLED ClearBlack curved touchscreen display. With a 1.4 GHz processor, hardware acceleration and a separate graphics processor, it also features an instant-share 8 Mpx camera with exclusive Carl Zeiss optics, HD video playback, 16GB of internal user memory and SkyDrive storage for accessing pictures and files from anywhere.

The Nokia 800C brings signature Nokia experiences optimized for Windows Phone and available only on Lumia:

- Nokia Maps, providing quick-access, superior, three-dimensional maps in China and over 190 countries worldwide, as well as the ability to discover the top places nearby with local content support from Fantong, Jiepang, Ctrip, Qunar and Soufun. People can easily click on the places to see photos, recommendations and information and quickly dial restaurants to make a reservation.
- Nokia Drive, which delivers a full-fledged personal navigation device with free, voice-guided, turn-by-turn navigation for over 100 countries including China, a dedicated in-car user-interface, free offline navigation and speed notifications.

- Nokia Music which offers a single hub experience for discovering the latest music, including unlimited free music for 12 months for consumers in mainland China. It also includes MixRadio, a free, global, mobile music-streaming application that delivers hundreds of channels of locally-relevant music, including the ability to listen to music offline and build personalized mixes for listening to favourite music from any location.

Exclusive applications and services for a uniquely local experience
China Telecom and Nokia have worked closely together to bring integrated China Telecom services that target young people including music, games, videos, and integrated reading apps right onto the Nokia 800C home screen. To reach this target market, the Nokia 800C will be featured prominently in Tianyi FlyYoung shops, a distribution arm and new, youth-centered sub-brand of China Telecom.

People purchasing Nokia Lumia smartphones in China will have access to exclusive applications such as magazines from Trends and special offers for free downloads of popular gaming titles such as Fruit Ninja and PVZ.

- Trends, a provider of highly interactive fashion magazine applications, will launch Cosmopolitan first forNokia Lumia smartphones and provide people using a Nokia Lumia phone with free access to For Him Magazine (FHM), Harper’s Bazaar and Esquire magazines in Marketplace, opening today.

- As an added incentive for people using a Nokia Lumia smartphone in China, Nokia will soon offer 100,000 free downloads of the hit gaming titles Fruit Ninja and PVZ through the Nokia Collection in Marketplace.

Nokia and Microsoft also announced the Be Top program, which is designed to encourage and support developers in creating great new applications on Windows Phone specifically for people in China.

These exciting offers and the BeTop development program illustrate Nokia’s commitment to the local ecosystem of application developers and service providers. Through joint innovation with leading local providers, Nokia is able to offer Lumia users access to all major Internet services in China including Sina, SOHU, Tencent and Renren. When paired with the choice of nearly 20,000 apps available for download through Marketplace, people using a Nokia Lumia smartphone in China can create a truly personalized and locally relevant experience on their device.

Availability and Pricing
The Nokia 800C will be available for purchase in April through Tianyi FlyYoung shops, a distribution channel of China Telecom; Nokia brand stores; China’s top chain electronics stores including Suning, Gome, Funtalk, D.Phone, and CentreYou, as well as regional channels and online shops such as 189.cn and hicdma.com. The Nokia 800C is offered without contract for 3599 RMB.

Mobile analytics firm Flurry on Wednesday announced that sometime in February, activations for iOS and Android devices in China overtook the United States for the first time ever. In January 2011, the U.S. accounted for 28% of the world’s total iOS and Android device activations, while China only accounted for 8%. China is now the world’s fastest growing smartphone market, however. In March, Flurry projects that China will account for 24% of all iOS and Android device activations, compared to the 21% for the U.S. Not only is China activating more devices per month than the U.S., the country is also the second largest app economy. The country’s app growth increased more than 1,100% between the first quarter of 2011 and the first quarter of 2012, and is projected to eventually overtake the U.S. in the global app economy. Flurry’s second image can be found after the break.

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Microsoft believes its Windows Phone operating system will help the software giant push past Apple in China’s smartphone market, Bloomberg reported on Wednesday. Passing Apple is an “interim goal” for the company, as the longer-term objective is to surpass Google’s Android platform and become the local market leader, Microsoft’s chairman and chief executive officer for the Greater China region Simon Leung said. Read on for more.

China is a crucial market for vendors, and the country is predicted to become the world’s largest smartphone market in 2012. According to market research firm IDC, smartphone shipments in China will increase 52% to 137 million units, overtaking the United States for the first time ever.

“We will continue to drive the price down,” Leung said. “Our goal is number one. Having a goal to be number two is not really a goal.” While Apple’s 16GB iPhone 4S cost 4,988 yuan in China, Leung said that Microsoft’s manufacturing partners will “definitely” offer devices in the price range of 1,000 yuan, roughly $158, although he did not specify which partners or devices. By 2016, Windows Phone is projected to have a 20% Chinese market share, ahead of Apple’s 16% and trailing Google’s 60%, said Teck-Zhung Wong, a Beijing-based analyst at IDC.

Microsoft unveiled an updated version of its Windows Phone platform for the Chinese market on Wednesday, and announced the availability of the first Windows Phone for the region, the HTC Eternity.

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Microsoft announced on Wednesday that its mobile operating system Windows Phone is now officially available in China. The company confirmed the launch on its Windows Phone blog on Wednesday. The first Windows Phone-powered handset to be released in the region is the HTC Eternity, known as the HTC Titan in the United States. It features a huge 4.7-inch display, a 1.5GHz single-core Snapdragon processor, an 8-megapixel wide-angle rear camera, a 1,600 mAh battery and a sleek unibody aluminum case. The Eternity will initially only be available unlocked. China is expected to surpass the U.S. this year to become the top smartphone market in the world by subscriber volume, and the total number of mobile subscribers in the country recently topped 1 billion.

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Three separate lawsuits have been filed in China on behalf of 12 writers who claim Apple is selling unlicensed versions of their works in its iBookstore. Apple is accused of selling 59 unlicensed works in total, and the three suits seek a combined $3.5 million in damages. Apple has not denied the allegations, though the company did say that it responds to intellectual property complaints quickly. “As an IP holder ourselves, we understand the importance of protecting intellectual property and when we receive complaints we respond promptly and appropriately,” Beijing-based Apple spokeswoman Carolyn Wu told the Associated Press. Wang Guohua, a lawyer representing the group of writers, said Apple violated copyright laws by making the books available for purchase without securing the necessary licenses. Wang also said that while some titles were removed after lawsuits were filed in January, many have been uploaded to Apple’s digital store again and Apple has not taken the appropriate measures to prevent the pirated books from being sold. ”Some developers, with whom Apple has contracts, put them back online again,” he said. “It is encouragement in disguise, because they did not punish the developers. The developers could have been kicked out. But nothing happened to them.”

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Microsoft on Wednesday began sending out invitations to the press for the company’s Windows Phone 7.5 Refresh launch event in China. According to Liveside, the event will be held in Beijing on March 21st. While the invitation doesn’t mention any specific handsets, HTC recently launched the Titan — becoming the first manufacturer to release a Window Phone device in China. Nokia CEO and president Stephen Elop will also reportedly host a separate event on March 28th. The company is expected to launch three Lumia devices, most likely running the refreshed Windows Phone 7.5 operating system. As of the fourth quarter of 2011, Nokia controls 16.1% of the Chinese mobile market, second only to Samsung.

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Samsung’s market share in the Chinese market is three times larger than Apple’s and still growing, Bloomberg reported on Sunday. The Cupertino-based company recently began to sell its flagship smartphone on the nation’s third largest carrier, China Telecom, in addition China Unicom, which up until recently was the exclusive carrier of the iPhone in China. The new partnership, however, may be too little, too late. “I don’t expect Apple to replace Samsung any time soon,” Gartner analyst Sandy Shen said. “China Telecom is the nation’s smallest carrier, so the extent to which they can help Apple is quite limited.” Read on for more.

Apple’s smartphone market share in the country currently sits at 7.5% compared to Samsung’s commanding 24.3%. The 16.8 point gap between the two companies has nearly doubled since the third quarter, though Apple is still the top smartphone vendor globally by volume. China is a huge market though with smartphone shipments in the country expected to jump 52% to 137 million units in China, overtaking the U.S. for the first time ever as the world’s largest market.

Unlike Apple, Samsung offers its mobile devices on all three major carriers, including the world’s largest carrier, China Mobile. “Having access to more subscribers gives vendors like Samsung an advantage,” said Teck Zhung Wong, a Beijing-based analyst with IDC China. “If Apple is going to continue to grow in the Chinese market, it has to consider very seriously a handset with China Mobile.”

Despite not selling the device, or even supporting 3G speeds with it, China Mobile currently has more than 15 million iPhone users, all of whom purchased the device unlocked.

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