Tim Cook and Phil Schiller are doing the full court press in China, the 27-inch iMac is still pressed for supply, and the late Steve Jobs was ready to press HP to give a former CEO his job back. The remainders for Thursday, January 10, 2013 are pressed for time.
Apple CEO Tim Cook confirms cellular version of iPad mini coming to China in late January (The Next Web)
Tim Cook’s visit to China seems like it’s generating as much news as Richard Nixon’s. The Apple CEO has already told Chinese media that the cellular-capable iPad mini will arrive in January, has met with carrier China Mobile, and even revealed that he has Chinese in-laws. And, uh, loves Chinese food?
Schiller: Despite popularity of cheap smartphones, they won’t be the future of Apple’s products (The Next Web)
Speaking of Apple execs in China, Phil Schiller’s given his own interview to Chinese media, in which he says that cheap smartphones will “never be the future of Apple products.” That would seem to contradict rumors earlier this week from DigiTimes and the Wall Street Journal, though many have pointed out that there’s a difference between cheap-as-in-low-cost phones and cheap-as-in-shoddy phones. Soooo, we’re basically right back where we started.
Apple’s Next Battleground Isn’t TV; It’s Web Services (AllThingsD)
John Paczkowsi argues that Apple’s next area of focus should be its paltry Web services. At this point, after MobileMe, Ping, and Maps, I think Apple might have better luck trying to convince everybody that the Web is totally over, man.
Yields of 27-Inch iMac Displays Expected to Improve Next Month (MacRumors)
The 27-inch iMac is seeing further delays, with new orders now shipping in 3-4 weeks. Sources tell this reporter that it’s because senior vice president Bob Mansfield had “borrowed” most of them to create his own IMAX screen so he could watch The Hobbit in the comfort of his own office.
Can Meg Whitman Reverse Hewlett-Packard’s Free Fall? (BloombergBusinessweek)
An interesting tidbit from this article about HP: Steve Jobs emailed former HP CEO Mark Hurd after he resigned from his position due to a sex scandal, asking if he needed to talk to someone. Jobs reportedly offered to call HP’s directors one by one to get Hurd his job back, and even to drag in Woz to call the pope, if that would help.