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Apple gains control of "i-phone" trademark in China
Back in 2002, Apple applied to register the iPhone trademark in China, but that application was limited to computer hardware and software, not mobile phones. A year later (three years before the iPhone's introduction), Chinese manufacturer Hanwang Technology applied for the trademark "i-phone" for a device they briefly sold. I Since then, Apple has been working to acquire the trademark "i-phone," and this week they finally succeeded. According to Macworld, the record for the trademark now shows Apple's name where it used to list Hanwang Technology. On Monday a Hanwang representative stated that Apple has indeed acquired the trademark, but refused to give any details. The iPhone's performance in China has been interesting, as the government's communication restrictions, a bustling black market and cheaper competition in Hong Kong got things off to a slow start. Just last week, China Unicom reported that they had sold 300,000 iPhones, which tripled claims of only 100,000 units sold by the start of December.
Weekly Webcomic Wrapup: Apple obsession edition
Mac World has, in the paraphrased words of Stephen Colbert, spawned the most amount of nerd wood since Princess Leia put on the bronze bikini. Despite its many imperfections, we still think the iPhone is a beautiful product we can never afford. It's the Apple effect, and Penny Arcade tackled it perfectly this week.Back to gaming, here's a selection of gaming comics we thought were awesome this week. We told Chillcomix we'd give them a nod, so go check it out if you have a chance. With all that out of the way, be sure to vote for your favoring game-related webcomic! Best-laid plans Lego my gimmick! Gaming Scientific, Episode I Passing down the limit Deep in the Moron Mines Apache 1.5 The sarge always knows what's best He's a real man. Streaming live NSFH: Not Safe for Humanity Free polls from Pollhost.com
Apple iPhone: a threat to portable consoles?
We've already stated on the record that we're yearning for iPhone gaming. Newsweek's N'Gai Croal, in an amusing iTunes-inspired megamix, has called out 10 companies or products who should be fearing the upcoming mega-product. And wouldn't you know it, Nintendo DS and Sony PSP make the list.For the PSP, Croal opines that the iPhone is a "threat to Sony's mobile media and communication ambitions," while also showing us how cool a touch-screen PSP would be. The Nintendo DS, meanwhile, could lose a chunk of the casual gamer market; Apple's iPhone "could cause a lot of casual DS owners to put it in a sock drawer and forget about it."However, the one thing in Sony and Nintendo's favor is Apple itself, and You as a consumer (both, appropriately, appear higher on Croal's mix). Both portable game consoles are a fraction of the iPhone's price tag, and people may not see the benefit in an all-in-one product that may or may not see a fully-fledged game lineup in the future. Also, both the PSP and DS have a sizeable library of exclusive titles, brand recognition, and history. We'd bet to say that the casual gamer would not be willing to shell out $500 for a product of convergence. Not right now, at least.
