How was your week? Fun week? Big week? As usual our week was pretty busy trying to stay on top of all the latest tech happenings around the Asia region. And for your reading pleasure, we’ve put together of some our favorite picks from the past seven days. Read on for more.
Steven’s pick: Apple Sees iPhone Sales Double in China
With so many analysts recently putting the bull in bullish, there was quite a reality check from Apple’s newest financials. The numbers revealed that the iPhone is still seeing good growth in the country, with double the number sold in 2012 compared to 2011.
Andrew’s pick: China’s Xiaomi Aims its MiTalk Messaging App at Southeast Asia, Japan, and Korea
The chat app war is getting interesting, and I can’t help but wonder how Xiaomi’s MiTalk will fare in this competitive market. It will be tough for the Chinese handset maker since all the other apps have a significant head start. But still, I think Xiaomi can give them a run for their money. Let’s see.
Willis’ pick: Revenue First
Revenue first. Though the concept isn’t quite true for every startup, I think it’s a refreshing angle to communicate the brutal truth about how hard it is to build a startup in Asia. The article helps to pull back entrepreneurs to reality, so they don’t get mesmerized by Silicon Valley magic. Asia ain’t like the Valley and it’s beautiful in its own ways. Needless to say, there’s lots of growth in Asia too.
Minh’s pick: Apple Indonesia Investment Confirmed, Jakarta Store and Online Sales Coming Soon
An Apple Store in Indonesia? How awesome is that? After all, it’s the largest Muslim country in the world and the most populated country in Southeast Asia. This only reinforces my thinking that Indonesia is on fire right now. With Tim Cook wanting to step up Apple’s market in China, it makes sense that Indonesia is also on his list.
Emily’s pick: Growing Faster than Facebook and Twitter: Key Highlights for Japan’s Line App [Infographic]
Japan’s popular Line app has taken Asia by storm. This week NHN Japan released an infographic (complete with their iconic characters) that confirmed their success in countries like Thailand, Taiwan, and Japan. It is also interesting to know that its amazing growth rate is about three times faster than that of Facebook and Twitter!
Rick’s pick: China Train Ticket Site Cost Nearly $100 Million, Seems to Be Harassing Programmers, And Might Be Broken Again
I’m not really that interested in the continued failings of the Railway Ministry’s miserable website — we’re sort of getting used to that. But I did find it really crazy that one plugin developer in Beijing was visited by ‘strange men’ and asked to take it offline. That’s harsh.
Charlie’s pick: Xiaomi Box Gets Regulatory Approval, Can Go on Sale
I’ve said before that I’m a big fan of Xiaomi’s courageous set-top box idea. I’m not sure this newly-partnered (and, probably, neutered) version of the device is going to set the world on fire, but it’s something that’s definitely worth keeping an eye on!
The post Tech in Asia: Our Picks for Story of the Week [Jan. 26] appeared first on Tech in Asia.