China Archives - Memeburn

Weekly Roundup Podcast #120: Nokia 8 in SA, ICOs and more
By Julia Breakey on 8 September, 2017
Welcome to the Weekly Roundup, our podcast discussing the latest tech trends, innovation and news from the last few days. This week, Hadlee Simons hosts Andy Walker and Stephen Timm in studio. Stephen opens the floor with a Ventureburn story on the SA Reserve Bank and its unwillingness to protect initial coin offerings (ICOs). The stance comes as China bans use altogether, renewing concerns on the use of cryptocurrencies. Over on Memeburn, Andy talks his favourite subject of the week: weather. Hurricanes Irma, Jose and Katia are currently threatening life in the Caribbean, US and Mexico and each of their paths can be traced via...
China’s Great Firewall now censors WhatsApp and Winnie The Pooh
By Staff Reporter on 19 July, 2017
China has had a particularly interesting week in digital thus far. In the run up to the country's Communist party reshuffle taking place later this year, it seems that instant messaging service WhatsApp has been crippled within the country. While WhatsApp isn't the most widely used chat app in China -- that honour goes to WeChat with just under a billion users -- it is a notable target. It is the last bastion for Facebook in China and one of the last popular chat apps still functioning within the country. According to the New York Times, Chinese citizens are unable to send or...

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Michael Bay-like motorcycle explosion from China caught on tape, goes viral
By Staff Reporter on 11 May, 2017
Usually its Russia that's on the receiving end of bad driving memes and videos, but last Saturday it was a Chinese motorcyclist who made all the wrong headlines. In Nanchang, China, a motorcyclist collided with a truck attempting to turn into a three-lane road. The bike, caught between the truck's cockpit and dump tray, then exploded, setting the motorcyclist on fire. It all looked a lot like a set-piece in a Michael Bay movie. A motorcyclist in China escaped with his life, and a few more Instagram views, after his fiery crash went viral Remarkably, the motorcyclist didn't sustain any "life-threatening injuries" after...
Uber China to merge with Didi, creating $35bn business – report
By Hadlee Simons on 1 August, 2016
Uber's Chinese operations will merge with Chinese smart cab service Didi Chuxing, it has been reported. The deal will result in a company worth US$35-billion and also sees Uber China investors get 20% of Didi, Bloomberg claimed. However, Uber China will continue to operate as its own separate business for now. Didi will also invest US$1-billion in Uber China, the publication reports, citing "people familiar with the matter". "As an entrepreneur, I’ve learned that being successful is about listening to your head as well as following your heart," said Travis Kalanick, CEO of Uber, in a blog post obtained by Bloomberg. "I have no doubt that...
iPhone 6 ruled as a rip-off of Chinese phone by Beijing patent authority
By Andy Walker: Editor on 17 June, 2016
Looking back, Apple probably wouldn't mark 2016 as a good year. After it was embroiled in a battle with the FBI in early 2016, it had to relinquish exclusive rights to the iPhone name in China just two months ago. Now, the company has suffered yet another setback in the country. The Beijing Intellectual Property Office has today ruled against Apple in its latest patent dispute. Its iPhone 6 (and Plus) design were found to infringe on patents owned by Chinese mobile phone company Baili. According to Bloomberg, the Apple devices were found to be too similar to Baili's 100C phone. Related: Apple...
Apple loses exclusive rights to ‘iPhone’ name in China
By Nur Bremmen: Staff reporter on 4 May, 2016
This has to be one of the strangest legal battles of the year, but Apple has now lost a case against a company in China selling its products using the iPhone name. No, these products aren't smartphones in the same vein as Apple's, but rather a range of quite fetching smartphone cases, bags, wallets, and other leather products. Chinese company Xintong Tiandi was awarded the rights to use the name IPHONE on its products back in 2010. As Apple couldn't prove that it was an established brand in the Chinese market prior to Xintong Tlandi's reservation of the name (it only began...

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Alibaba sold goods worth $476bn in fiscal year 2015
By Myolisi Sikupela: Staff Reporter on 22 March, 2016
For the fiscal year ending 30 March 2016, Alibaba's China retail marketplace platforms sold goods worth more than 3 trillion yuan, about US$476-billion. This is according to Alibaba's Group Executive Vice Chairman, Joe Tsai. Writing on Alizila, the company's blog, Tsai claimed that the company has seen a growth of about 23% in Gross Merchandise Value (GMV) from the previous year, 2015. The growth, according to Tsai, is not only reflective of an impressive year by Alibaba but a shift in China's economy trend. Tsai proposes that Alibaba is seeing the emergence of a new economy, one driven by...
Uber users in China can now pay with Alipay when travelling
By Myolisi Sikupela: Staff Reporter on 1 February, 2016
With an actual population of over 1.4 billion and an internet population of 649 million internet users by the end of 2014, with 557 million accessing the internet on their smartphones, it is no mystery why many tech companies are looking to establish a footprint in China. Uber has announced a new partnership with Alipay. The ride hailing service announced that its China users will now be able to pay for their rides using Alipay when they are travelling outside of mainland China to other regions. According to the company, during China’s week-long ‘National Day’ holiday in 2015, Uber...

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3 ways China’s position in Africa is good news for other foreign investors
By Konstantin Makarov on 17 November, 2015
Nothing good can come from Chinese investments in Africa — at least that’s what naysayers would have you believe. Critics suggest that China’s African projects lay the groundwork for neocolonialism and leave poor communities vulnerable to exploitation. But as a recent Quartz article put it, when it comes to Africa, “Chinese investment is everywhere.” And with polls showing more than 50% favourability of China in a number of African countries, many people on the continent don’t think that’s a bad thing.
Apple turns manufacturing process green with WWF China partnership
By Jacques Coetzee: Staff Reporter on 11 May, 2015
Apple is partnering with the World Wildlife Fund to help protect as much as 1 million acres of forests responsible for pulp, paper and wood products in China. This is part of the tech conglomerate's mission to take all its global operations off-the-grid. Although as 87% of Apple’s global operations is already run on renewable energy, which include its offices, data centres and stores, the multinational is now looking to green up its manufacturing processes as well. "We’ve set an example by greening our data centres, retail stores and corporate offices, and we’re ready to start leading the way toward reducing carbon...

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Instagram reportedly blocked in China after mass Hong Kong protests
By Jacques Coetzee: Staff Reporter on 29 September, 2014
Instagram has become the latest victim of online censorship having reportedly been blocked in most parts of China. While certainly not the first site to be blocked by China, the move does reflect the amount of pressure the local government is currently experiencing amid the pro-democracy protests. On Sunday, tens of thousands of protesters gathered on the streets of financial hub Hong Kong. The protest has continuously been cited as being peaceful, though the local government has been using tear gas in order to disperse the crowds. Instagram has been one of the few Western social networks not blocked in...

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Alibaba officially registers biggest ever US IPO
By Stuart Thomas on 19 September, 2014
Alibaba has raised US$21.8-billion ahead of its stock market debut, meaning that it is responsible for the largest IPO in US history. According to multiple sources, the ecommerce giant, its executives and early investors split some 320-million shares up at a value of US$68 a share. The value of Alibaba's IPO puts it well ahead of the US$16-billion Facebook managed to raise in its IPO a couple of years back. It's even larger than the US$17.9-billion Visa managed to raise in its 2008 IPO and falls just short of the US$22.1-billion raised by the Agricultural Bank of China in what...
In China, they now have designated sidewalks for people on their phones
By Staff Reporter on 15 September, 2014
China has over half a billion smartphone users. It's then almost no surprise then that in the City of Chongqing, a new sidewalk has been unveiled exclusively meant for people walking around, looking down at their glowing screens. China's People Daily popularised the news when it tweeted that it's an "exclusive sidewalk for mobile phone users to avoid possible crashes." --essentially, the lanes are designated areas for slow-moving, distracted people on-foot. Chongqing City has set up China's 1st "exclusive sidewalk for mobile phone users ” to avoid possible crashes on Fri pic.twitter.com/jFiCbbE1yk— People's Daily,China (@PDChina) September 13, 2014 Ever since...
China’s ecommerce light shows no signs of dimming
By Stuart Thomas on 25 August, 2014
If you're the kind of person who battles to understand why Alibaba's IPO -- set to be the biggest in tech history -- is going to be so very big, it's probably worth your while to have a look at the current state of ecommerce in China. According to a new report from digital marketing research group eMarketer, the Asian giant's ecommerce market is still showing signs of serious growth, something that's unlikely to change in the near future. eMarketer's research shows that retail ecommerce sales will grow more than 60% this year, with healthy gains projected through 2018. ...
With half a billion smartphone users, China’s internet future is pretty clear
By Stuart Thomas on 20 June, 2014
Watching the Chinese tech scene has a kind of inoculating effect on a person when it comes to massive numbers. This is, after all, a country where that has over 618-million internet users and where an ecommerce outfit can realistically aim for the biggest tech IPO of all time. Even in the face of those numbers however, it's still pretty astonishing to see that smartphone ownership in the country is set to go past the 500-million mark later this year. According to internet market research house eMarketer, reaching that milestone means that it'll account for just...

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