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Apple Loses Exclusive Rights to iPhone Trademark in China

Apple presented iPhone in China market and expanded the popularity of this smartphone across the world. Customers knew that iPhone was created and released by Apple [the ‘fruit’ giant shared its Q2, 2016 earnigs report]. However there are reports that say the ‘fruit’ giant loses its exclusive rights to iPhone trademark in China.

Apple tried to appeal to local court to keep the iPhone trademark China option however the court rejected this request. It happened in the end of March. In other words, you can find iPhone in the Chinese market that is not manufactured by Apple. We are mainly talking about non-smartphone products offered to local customers.

There is a Chinese company that has been selling iPhone products ever since 2007. It was offering wallets, handset cases and other accessories. This is the year when Apple introduced its first iPhone to U.S. market. The company brought its iPhone to China in 2009. It also tried to get exclusive trademark rights in the local market stating that iPhone is the product of Apple and not Tiandi.

Apple cannot prove that its iPhone word was popular before Tiandi registered this name as its accessory products [Apple has issues with iTunes and iBooks Store in China these days]. Customers, as court believes, couldn’t link iPhone to Apple smartphones only back then and this is the reason why Apple lost this case and couldn’t keep the exclusive rights to the name of its extremely popular smartphone.

If you visit China and see iPhone case or other accessory you should keep in mind that the products are manufactured by Tiandi and not Apple. Still the iPhone as smartphone is the only original Apple handset you can officially find in Asia while there are many fake iPhones offered here as well.

Simple Fix to iTunes Error 3194 on iPhone

Do you get iTunes error 3194 while trying to update or restore your Apple device? It is simple to solve this problem [find out if it’s possible to downgrade iOS 9.3.1 to 9.3]. This method works for different problems. For example, you can fix Error 17 and 1639. This guide is good for Errors 3000 – 3020 and is great for iTunes errors 3100 – 3999.

Yay, there are multiple bugs and problems that can be resolved. It happens because iTunes doesn’t ‘talk’ to update server so you should check hosts file. If you are using Mac you can fix error 3194 iTunes through Terminal command. Simply enter:

sudo nano /private/etc/hosts

Click on Enter and you’ll see the hosts file where you should search for gs.apple.com entry. If it exists you need to remove or comment it by adding # with ‘space’ at the beginning of entry. Save the file and restart your Mac machine.

Windows users can fix error Can’t Restore 3194 iTunes problem [learn more about Apple online iPhone upgrade program] by getting to Search and typing Run to click on Run icon. You should type the following into Open window:

%WinDir%\System32\Drivers\Etc

When Etc folder is launched you can double press on Hosts file. It is necessary to edit it by removing gs.apple.com entry and saving the file.

The issue should be fixed after restore.

There are predictions that say iTunes error 3194 mostly appears on previously jailbroken devices where jailbreak caused the appearance of new entry hosts file that you have to remove in order to fix the problem. It can be solved on both Macs and Windows computers and this is nice. No matter if you have iPhone or iPad you can still fix the bug without issues.

Apple Maps Improved with More Traffic and Flyover Locations

Apple Maps traffic gets some improvements along with Apple Maps flyover iOS 9 locations. iPhone users get more options from the famous ‘fruit’ company while Apple is working on the future gen iPhone 7 and enhancing its own Maps tools with extra features.

Apple Maps Thailand traffic information is finally added. You can visit more countries across the world and get detailed traffic data for easier travelling. Besides, Apple Maps flyover cities are now supported in the U.S. (Ohio) and Mexico allowing amazing 3D Views of the location. Right now this option is only available in Akron (Ohio) and Puerto Vallarta (Mexico) but more cities support should be available soon.

iPhone users have two Maps choices with Apple Maps and Google Maps. You can use both programs on the same phone for better results. Apple is doing its best to improve the program and compete with Google [the company is already offering new Apple iPhone Upgrade Program online]. There were different problems and issues with Apple Maps however the company didn’t give in and continues to update the tool.

Apple Maps traffic information is added for many locations. Apple is bringing the option to more countries. It’s a cool option for all iPhone users who travel a lot and need to get metro or bus schedule on-the-go. This is exactly what Maps Traffic option brings to your iDevice. As time goes by Apple adds more and more cities to the list of supports Traffic cities and makes it easier and simpler to travel with the ‘fruit’ device.

Apple Presents New Music API for iOS 9.3 Platform

iPhone and iPad are so popular that many developers are happy to create their programs for iOS 9.3 and other Apple firmware versions [here are some reports about future iPhone 7]. Both iOS market (the App Store) and third-party markets (Cydia and similar stores) have tons of different applications and games and Apple Music iOS 9.3 API can offer even better features.

This option is meant for professional developers and still end users should win-win from the release of Apple Music API. Dev will be able to use Apple Music playback in their iOS 9.3 programs which is cool for all iPhone and iPad owners.

Would it be great if you could control Apple Music playback option right within an application? Wouldn’t it be awesome if your iPhone or iPad gets additional features and lets you create playlists and do other things developers offer?

There are many ways how to improve the iDevice. Apple Music API 9.3 release is an interesting presentation that can enhance the usage of ‘fruit’ devices and make millions of music fans happier [find out if it is possible to downgrade iOS 9.3.1 to 9.3]. Some third-party programs are already using the new iOS 9.3 API and more apps are to implement and adjust this option in the future.

Right now dev who are using Apple Music API will be able to see some information about users who are members (country, member status) and queue up songs for playback based on their ID. This should be a nice little addition that can bring some wonderful changes and enhancements to iOS applications and make many programs better and more useful.

Details from Apple Earnings Report for Q2, 2016

The official Apple earnings call for Q2 sound disappointing to some users. The Cupertino-based giant believes that there is high demand for iPhone SE however we will clearly see how popular or not popular this 4-inch iPhone model is after Apple announces the financial results for Q3, 2016.

The Q2 Apple earnings 2016 show decline in iPhone sales. These are first-ever decline in ‘fruit’ handset sales since 2003. This is also the first year-over-year income drop since 2003. Apple CEO Tim Cook noted that the second quarter was ‘a challenge’ for Apple company.

This time 67 percent of Q2 revenue made by international sales. Even though the ‘fruit’ giant experiences decline in its popular smartphone sale, the iOS giant still attracts customers pretty much and even managed to get record number of users switching from Android platform to iOS system.

The iPhone maker has over $230 billion in marketable refuges and cash. It managed to increase the capital return program [just think of this, by $50 billion]. The ‘fruit’ giant is sure that the demand for iPhone SE is even stronger than expected.

Right now the demand exceeds supply and this could make iPhone Q3 results better than Q2. Chinese and Indian customers are all demanding the affordable iPhone SE and U.S. customers seem to like this smaller handset as well.

What iPhone model do you have? Are you satisfied with it or are you looking for the next generation iPhone 7 release? There are different rumors about iPhone 7 design and possible exclusive features. Of course, nothing is confirmed by Apple yet.

Apple Offers iPhone Upgrade Program to Users Online

There is no need to visit your local Apple store when you want to participate in iPhone Upgrade Program and get a new handset from the Cupertino-based giant. The famous ‘fruit’ company now offeres iPhone Upgrade online through its store.

What models can you get? Every year customers are able to bring in their older working iPhone and upgrade it to the most recent generation version. Apple presented iPhone 6s and 6s Plus in fall 2015 and released 4-inch iPhone SE in spring 2016. You can upgrade directly from Apple to any of these models right through its online store.

The improved Apple iPhone Upgrade Program has simple requirements. Visit Apple online store and sign up for the company’s Upgrade Program. Right now all iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus consumers can do this on-the-go. There is no need to make in-store purchase in order to be a part of this offer.

iPhone upgrade online option is exactly the same as the in-store upgrade program. You can install iOS 9.3.1 on new iPhone 6s but you cannot downgrade iOS 9.3.1 to iOS 9.3 any more. You are able to split up the full price of your new handset over 2 years. You’ll be able to upgrade to the next generation device after 12 payments [you’ll have 24 monthly payments through the Upgrade Program]. So if you sign up for Upgrade this spring you’ll be able to upgrade to iPhone 7 next spring.

The ‘fruit’ giant includes AppleCare+ plan to your online purchase. The monthly payments for Apple iPhone 6s purchase are $32.41 – $40.75 depending on the capacity you choose. If you are going to buy iPhone 6s Plus you’ll have to pay from $36.58 to $44.91 per month depending on your model / storage space.

iPhone 7 Might Not Be Attractive to Customers

The release of iPhone SE (smaller 4-inch handset that replaces iPhone 5s) brings even more iPhone 7 rumors. Customers are curious what else Apple is planning for 2016. The iPhone 7, however, might not be that attractive.

While most consumers expect to see amazing and exclusive iPhone 7 features and specifications experts have thoughts that this model will not get a big number of attractive selling points. iPhone 7 rumors 2016 mention redesigned smartphone with new options. Still the company could step away from innovations and offer only minor updates.

Well-known expert Ming-Chi Kuo doesn’t specify possible iPhone 7 features but he thinks Apple could ship less iPhone units than it did back in 2014. As noted by Kuo, the Cupertino-based giant might only ‘order’ 190 million iPhones while this figure was 193 million two years ago.

Even if Apple goes with 205 million iPhone shipments in 2016 [4-inch iPhone SE has better battery performance than other iPhones] it won’t still reach the 230 million figure that was predicted earlier. Kuo thinks that Apple will add all the rumored improvements to iPhone 8 instead of iPhone 7. If this is true we’ll see OLED screen and wireless charging in 2017.

There were reports about iPhone 7 features that mentioned wireless charging, OLED screen and water proof body in 2016. The iPhone SE has no such features and it lacks some of the wonderful options introduced with iPhone 6s and 6s Plus launch. Could iPhone 7 be the same iPhone 6s with slight changes? What do you think?

iPhone SE Highly Demanded by Chinese Customers: Over 3 Million Orders

Long before Apple officially released iPhone SE in China it was believed that this model could be extremely popular in China and India. These are two markets where customers prefer getting affordable smartphones.

There are many iPhone models but they are all priced differently. iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus are the most expensive and iPhone SE is the most affordable. What iPhone is popular in China? It looks like the 4-inch iPhone is highly demanded by local consumers.

iPhone SE pre orders in China reached over 3.4 million devices. This is big hit here. So many users hurried to pre order their new phone before it went on sale. The number of customers who are trying to buy iPhone SE is growing. Apple offers discounts and new programs for iPhone SE purchase in India.

According to reports, users prefer iPhone SE in gold color. The second choice is rose gold. It seems that gray and silver iPhones are not as popular these days. What color do you prefer when it comes to ‘fruit’ device?

Of course, 3.4 million iPhone SE pre-orders number is not as high as premium iPhone sales still 4-inch device is known as budget smartphone. It is mainly designed for emerging markets and the iPhone giant has hopes to sell 15 million iPhone SE units by end of 2016. Could it reach this number? It probably can if pre-orders in China only reached over 3 million.

Apple is now working on iOS 9.3.2 firmware update. This version exists in beta only but should soon become available to public.

Great iPhone 6s Discount: Buy iPhone at $1 from Best Buy

There are millions of Apple users who are looking for iPhone 6s discount. Best Buy seems to get a good deal to all ‘fruit’ fans. You have a choice of getting a new phone on the contract or instead get $100 gift card [through installment plan].

The great iPhone 6s discount and iPhone deals could save you money. Apple never offers iPhone at one dollar directly through its Apple Stores. Retailers have better deals and you can grab one of the latest phone models right now.

If you wish to get iPhone 6s at $1 you will have to agree to sign up a contract. This is the only requirement you have to meet in order to pay only one dollar for 16GB iPhone 6s version. You’ll be locked to Sprint. If you are not a fan of contract iPhone model you can agree to the $100 Gift Card and choose installment plan instead.

Apple fans who sign up to 2 year contract with Sprint can pay $1 for their iPhone 6s [16GB capacity only]. It is curious that Sprint is the only major U.S. carrier that still offers contracts. All other big networks got away from contract plans by now [compare iPhone SE and iPhone 6s]. Sprint tried to do the same thing however it quickly changed its mind.

Sprint installment plan is designed for users who don’t like contract iPhones. The installment plan option also gives you Best Buy $100 gift card. Customers have to pay $26.39 a month through installment plan [the iPhone 6s’ full price is $699.99].

You should visit Best Buy store to get the deal.

iBooks Store and iTunes Movies Not Available in China Anymore?

Chinese markets doesn’t welcome international companies if they are taking over local companies. Apple is expanding its retail stores in China however the Chinese Regulator decided to shut down some of the ‘fruit’ service. iTunes Movies in China are affected as well as iBooks Store.

It is impossible to make major inroads into the local market unless your company was founded in China. All the limitations were successfully bypassed by Apple. The company created a name for its well-known products as iPhone, iPad and other ‘fruit’ devices are pretty popular in China. Local customers pre-ordered over 3 million units of the new 4-inch iPhone SE model. iPhone 6s and 6s Plus that are more expensive than iPhone SE are also demanded by Chinese consumers.

The news about China shutting down iBooks Store and iTunes iMovies got no official comments from Apple. The spokeswoman only mentions that the Cupertino-based company is working hard so that Chinese customers can use its stores. Nothing is said about when exactly the stores that were shut down would be back to live.

Chinese Government at first approved Apple’s initiative to launch Apple Pay in China, iTunes Movies and iBooks Store in China. Later the local media Administration demanded that the iPhone maker shut down online stores in the Asian market. Apple had to take down its stores.

We have already heard about China’s wish to get iOS source code from Apple. The Cupertino-based company refused to reveal it.

Apple products are highly competitive in China even though this brand is pretty expensive. Customers from all over the world purchase ‘fruit’ gadgets. Apple mobile payment, tech products, software and online stores compete with Chinese services and companies so all ‘fruit’ products are most likely under the scanner in China.