05/24, 1:56pm
May bring new display tech to future products
Just two months after Foxconn bought a 10 percent stake in Sharp, the two companies have announced a collaboration on a plant in Chengdu, China that will be used to build iPhone displays and potentially displays for other products. Foxconn will build the plant, and Sharp will assist by supplying technology, which may be used to further expand its ability to produce displays using its IGZO formulation, along with possible poly-silicon LCD screens.
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05/24, 9:08am
Microsoft retreats from previous sales claims
In a pair of related developments, Microsoft has retreated from earlier claims that its phone OS was more popular in China than iOS just as new figures for the first quarter of 2011 show that Apple has nearly tripled its sales of iPhones in the country and raised its share from eight to 19 percent, mostly due to the launch of the iPhone 4S, which was launched with two of China's major carriers in January to great demand and some crowd issues.
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05/21, 10:05am
Huai’an plant to host 35,800 workers
Asian manufacturer Foxconn is preparing to spend $210 million on a new Huai'an production line for Apple, according to China Daily. The plant has been announced by local officials, and is expected to consume 40,000 square meters (over 430,556 square feet), and employ 35,800 people. Predicted output is valued at 6 to 7 billion yuan, or somewhere between $949 million and $1.1 billion, with an import/export value of $55.8 million.
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05/16, 10:05am
Carrier losing subscribers due to native 3G standard
China Mobile is in talks with Apple to offer the iPhone, confirms Mobile chairman Xi Guohua. The executive made the statement on Wednesday at a shareholder meeting in Hong Kong, his first since replacing Wang Jianzhou, who retired in March. Apple has refused to comment, and Xi didn't elaborate much further at the meeting, saying he couldn't predict if a deal would be reached this year. "China Mobile and Apple both have the will to strengthen cooperation," he commented. "When there is more specific news, we will disclose it."
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05/11, 12:50am
Sum would fall well short of repaying Proview creditors
[Update: Proview said to have rejected the offer] The settlement offer Apple is extending to Proview is valued at $16 million, according to local reports. Earlier this week a Proview lawyer claimed that the two parties were discussing a compensation package, and that Apple had even named an amount, but at the time he declined to provide any more details. If accurate, the $16 million figure will still fall well short of the $63 million Proview owes to creditors as a part of its bankruptcy.
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05/07, 11:35am
Apple may have already proposed settlement sum
Progress is being made in settlement talks between Apple and Proview regarding the Chinese iPad trademark lawsuit, lawyers for Proview claim. One of them, Xie Xianghui, recently spoke with China's official Xinhua news agency, and said that the two parties have discussed a compensation package. Apple has even allegedly mentioned a specific sum, but Proview has yet to agree to anything.
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05/01, 9:05am
Companies prepare tech for commercial deployment
Intel and Huawei have established a partnership that will focus on testing TD-LTE network technology. The companies will establish a testing lab in China, where engineers will continue to work on interoperability and implementation trials.
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04/27, 5:40pm
Govt could limit acceptable architectures
Chinese government officials are in the process of attempting to define a national processor architecture standard. If successful, the standard, which EE Times contends might emerge in the next few months, could dramatically alter computing in the world's largest country, and the ripple effects could change the way international companies do business in China.
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04/24, 9:50pm
$7.9B of Asia-Pacific's overall $10.15B haul
The Asia-Pacific region and China specifically were called out several times in today's earnings call with analysts. CEO Tim Cook was unusually candid in breaking out some China-specific numbers, noting that of the $10.15 billion in Asia-Pacific sales in the company's second fiscal quarter, China alone accounted for $7.9 billion, a tripling of sales on a year-over-year basis. Cook also said Apple was seeing a "halo effect" that was increasing Mac sales in the region.
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04/24, 12:30pm
May aid Proview in settlement talks
Chinese government officials are currently siding with Proview in the company's iPad trademark dispute with Apple, reports suggest. The Associated Press quotes Yan Xiaohong, deputy director of the National Copyright Administration, as saying that the government considers Proview Shenzhen to be the rightful owner of the trademark. The Wall Street Journal meanwhile cites Fu Shuangjian -- the deputy director of the State Administration for Industry and Commerce -- as having a slightly different perspective.
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04/20, 10:55am
Companies may be at detente over iPad trademark
Apple and Proview are in active settlement talks regarding their iPad trademark dispute, a lawyer for the latter party tells IDG News. Ma Dongxiao has, however, refused to offer any more details. The Higher People’s Court of Guangdong Province is currently deliberating on the case, but earlier this week recommended mediation, in keeping with Chinese law that allows for such talks before a ruling is handed down.
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04/19, 10:10am
Tracking expands to wider number of facilities
Apple has updated its monthly Supplier Responsibility report with data from March, claiming an improvement in suppliers following rules on excessive working hours. Suppliers are, officially, expected to demand no more than 60 hours a week per person. Compliance grew to 95 percent in March, up from 89 percent in February, and 84 percent in January.
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04/16, 1:25pm
Apple has 'changed a lot,' activist says
Apple is planning to do a pollution audit of one of its parts suppliers, a Chinese environmental group tells the Wall Street Journal. A vice director for the Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs, Wang Ding, elaborates that the supplier makes printed circuit boards, but Wang is refusing to name the company. She does say that the IPE will be participating in the audit, and have help from professional auditors. The group is hoping to audit other Apple suppliers as well, but Wang adds that this is dependent "on Apple's and its suppliers' actions."
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04/09, 9:40am
Conflicts with story from Foxconn recruiter
The next-generation iPhone will ship in October, a report from South Korea's Maeil Business Newspaper suggests. The paper has directly questioned the head of human resources at Foxconn's Taiyuan factory. "We just got the order. It [the iPhone launch] will be around October," the source claims. The person also backs up part of a Japanese report from late March, which observed that there were Foxconn hiring ads across Taiyuan. "Yes, it's true we are hiring a large number of workers," the Foxconn HR head says.
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04/06, 2:30pm
Victim hit with worsening renal deficiency
Five people from southern China have been charged in the case of a 17-year-old who sold a kidney to buy an iPad and an iPhone, according to the state's Xinhua News Agency. The incident was first exposed when the teen, only identified by the surname Wang, was asked by his mother where he got the money for the devices. Wang is from Anhui, a poor province that many people frequently leave to find better work.
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04/03, 12:10pm
Reprieve will allow Apple v. Proview to continue
The Intermediate People's Court in Shenzhen has rejected a request to liquidate the assets of Proview Shenzhen, China Daily reports. One of Proview's creditors, Fubon Insurance, had previously filed several requests to have Proview's Shenzhen subsidiary liquidated. Although Proview is currently suing Apple, Fubon has argued that Proview won't make enough money to pay off its debts.
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03/30, 8:00pm
LTE version OK'd, though LTE not yet available
Apple may bring the latest iPad model to Taiwan as early as May, now that the Wi-Fi and LTE versions of the third-generation product have passed certification by the National Communications Commission, reports Taipei's Economic Daily News. The testing follows mainland China's approval earlier this week of the Wi-Fi version only, and involves both the tablet itself as well as its battery and charger, as well as checking for compliance with local Wi-Fi and cellular bandwidth laws.
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03/29, 5:50pm
Promises shorter hours, better health and safety
The Fair Labor Association has announced the results of its investigation into labor problems at Apple's major manufacturing partner, Foxconn. The full probe is said to have taken almost a month, and found "excessive overtime and problems with overtime compensation; several health and safety risks; and crucial communication gaps that have led to a widespread sense of unsafe working conditions among workers," according to the FLA.
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03/29, 4:15pm
Row erupts over Apple construction barricades
Apple is at work on a new Apple Store in Dalian, China, MIC Gadget reports. A sign in the city's Parkland Mall claims that the store will be the "world's biggest," but provides no other details. This includes a date for the outlet's launch, although construction has already begun.
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03/29, 10:00am
Apple CEO likely eager to dispel labor concerns
Apple CEO Tim Cook has toured a new Foxconn production plant for the iPhone, company spokeswoman Carolyn Wu tells Bloomberg. The facility is based in Zhengzhou, China, and is said to employ about 120,000 people. Official photos show Cook and a Chinese entourage passing by some of the workers who manually assemble iPhone parts for up to 60 hours a week or more.
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03/27, 11:45am
Italian location furthers international push
As a part of his visit to Beijing on Monday, Apple CEO Tim Cook also met with Guo Jinlong, the mayor of Beijing, a local newspaper reports. The exact details of the encounter are unknown, but it's suggested he talked about expanding markets, and cooperating more closely with Beijing in the future. Yesterday Apple would only say that Cook was in the country to talk with "Chinese officials" about expanding operations in the region; he was nevertheless spotted at the Xidan Joy City Apple Store in Beijing.
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03/26, 8:10pm
Phone debuts in China. Plans elsewhere unknown
HTC is nearing the launch of a new dual-SIM smartphone in its native China. The T328w Wind is powered by a Qualcomm 1GHz single core processor and a four-inch 800x480 screen. It will ship with Android 4.0, making it close in some respects to the One V.
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03/26, 8:00pm
Chinese winner an example of growing popularity
The person who won Apple's contest to be the downloader of the 25th billionth app from the App Store was a Chinese woman named Fu Chunli from Qingdao, reports Chinese Mac site MICgadget. She became the lucky winner by downloading a free version of the Disney game Where's My Water? and received as a reward an iTunes gift card worth $10,000 US. The company invited Fu to the Beijing store to collect her prize.
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03/26, 11:00am
Apple seen custom-tailoring products for region
Apple is planning to integrate Baidu web search into iOS, according to sources for Sina Technology. Baidu is an extremely popular search engine in China, but iOS currently defaults to Google, with Bing and Yahoo as secondary options. Sina suggests that Baidu support will begin in April, at least in the Chinese market. If true, the change should require an iOS firmware update.
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03/26, 9:30am
Executive also spotted in Beijing Apple Store
Apple CEO Tim Cook met with Chinese government officials on Monday, company spokeswoman Carolyn Wu tells MarketWatch. The executive was reportedly there to discuss expanding Chinese operations, but Wu has refused to elaborate. Cook "had great meetings with Chinese officials today," according to Wu. "China is very important to us and we look forward to even greater investment and growth here."
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03/23, 2:05am
3G subsidies hurt profits, but growth offsets them
China Unicom increased both its subscriber base and profit for 2011 by spending heavily to promote 3G data use, which is still relatively new to the country, Marketwatch reports. The company more than doubled its 3G subscriber base to 40 million users, now 20 percent of its total mobile base, and increased profits in the 3G arena to 31.7 percent of its revenues. The company credited its collaboration with Apple for part of the results.
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03/22, 9:10pm
Retailer located near knockoff Apple Store
A retailer has reportedly opened an unofficial Android store in China, billing itself as a "celebrities smartphone experience store," according to a rough translation posted on Isidor's Fugue blog. Interestingly enough, the store is claimed to be selling iPhones among a variety of other smartphones.
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03/20, 6:10pm
UK retailers report record-breaking sales
Sales of the new iPad are up as much as 80 percent over last year's launch of the iPad 2, sources at one of the larger retail outlets for Apple gear in the UK have told Pocket-Lint. One PC World outlet in London, which opened its doors at midnight for a special first-day sale, says it sold a new iPad every 20 seconds for the entire 90 minutes it was open for the sale. Currys, owned by the same company, also reported 80 percent higher sales.
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03/20, 10:05am
Claims 5-point jump in 'compliance' in February
Apple is doing updates a section on excessive labor on its Supplier Responsibility page, notes Daring Fireball. "In our effort to end the industry practice of excessive overtime, we're working closely with our suppliers to manage employee working hours. Weekly data collected in January 2012 on more than 500,000 workers employed by our suppliers showed 84 percent compliance with the 60-hour work week specified in our code. In February 2012, compliance with the 60-hour work week among 500,000 workers at those suppliers increased to 89 percent, with workers averaging 48 hours per week," the current entry reads.
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03/15, 7:30pm
China expected to hold dominant position
China is expected to outpace the US in domestic smartphone shipments before the end of the year, according to a report issued by research firm IDC. Users located throughout China are expected to account for 20.7 percent of global smartphone share, while the US is projected to slip slightly behind with 20.6-percent share.
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03/13, 3:40pm
Company works to deter scalpers, lineups
Apple is sticking to a recent reservation system for the Hong Kong launch of the new iPad. According to Apple's website, shoppers will be able to register starting the morning of the 15th local time, and pick up an iPad the next day at the IFC Mall Apple Store. Signs spotted by Engadget warn people not to line up, informing them that "Apple will not serve on a first come first serve basis for new ipad [sic]."
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03/13, 1:30pm
May be response to public criticisms
Foxconn is hiring for several safety and "lifestyle" positions involving one of two Chinese units that supplies Apple, says Bloomberg. In particular the company's Integrated Digital Products Business Group is advertising in Shenzhen for a safety and security officer, a lifestyle services manager, and two fire chiefs. The chairman of Foxconn's retail division, Louis Woo, has refused to provide any more details beyond the positions' existence.
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03/12, 4:30pm
Report raises questions about inspections
Apple inspected a Pegatron plant building iPad 2s mere hours before an explosion injured at least 59 people, according to workers interviewed by NPR. The number of injured was initially pegged at 61, but Apple currently claims 59. NPR says it met with 25 victims of the blast last week, such as He Wenwen, who was calibrating a machine used to polish iPad 2 backs when the explosion happened.
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03/09, 9:40am
Demand better than expected, carrier says
Over 200,000 pre-orders were made for today's launch of the China Telecom iPhone 4S, according to MIC Gadget. Of these, more than 10,000 were placed in Beijing; over 20,000 were made in Shanghai. Telecom claims that demand for the 4S has been higher than expected.
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03/08, 10:45am
Company steps up pressure on local vendors
Proview Shenzhen has issued an open letter to dealers and vendors in China, warning them not to sell the iPad, according to the Associated Press. The company threatens "the most severe measures" against anyone using "IPAD" or a similar trademark. This includes pursuing civil or even criminal allegations; to date Proview has only pursued a civil case against Apple in China, disregarding a separate US lawsuit.
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03/05, 3:05pm
Carrier still unofficially supported
The number of iPhone users on China Mobile has reached 15 million, according to the carrier's chairman, Wang Jianzhou. The figure is notable because the only official iPhone carrier in China so far has been rival China Unicom. All of the Mobile iPhone subscribers are therefore using hacked and/or gray market devices, despite efforts to clamp down on unofficial sales. Apple now appears to be quietly supporting the carrier.
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03/05, 12:25pm
Could affect ongoing lawsuit against Apple
One of Proview Electronics' major creditors, Taiwan's Fubon Insurance, is taking steps to have Proview liquidated, according to Chinese media outlets. Fubon is reportedly asking for $8.68 million in debts from Proview, and has filed to have Proview declared bankrupt. An official at Shenzhen's Intermediate Court says he expects an announcement to be made "in the near future."
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03/05, 9:50am
Report says Apple supporting unofficial carrier
Apple has contributed to fixing a problem with using the iPhone 4S on China Mobile, the People's Daily reports. Some 4S owners have been having trouble activating SIM cards, or else simply making calls with a full signal. A telecom expert reached by the Daily notes that the issue appears to involve the 4S only supporting the GSM P band -- 885-915MHz -- and not the E band (880-890MHz), although both are used by China Mobile.
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02/27, 2:40am
Lineup includes three 4-inch models
After unveiling the One smartphone lineup yesterday at Mobile World Congress, HTC has introduced another trio, the Dragon series, that will be headed to China. The brand includes three different models that are similar to the One V, each featuring entry-level hardware paired with Android 4.0.
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02/23, 6:40pm
Apple accused of slow action on piracy complaints
A group of nine Chinese writers have amended a December court filing against Apple to almost double the amount of damages sought, according to Macworld. Having previously sought 11.9 million yuan in their App Store piracy case, the group -- operating as the China Written Works Copyright Society -- is now asking for 23 million yuan, or about $3.65 million. As explanation the CWWCS says it has discovered another 26 infringing products on the App Store.
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02/22, 9:35am
Apple claims iPad sales are 'national interest'
Lawyers for Apple and Proview exchanged heated words today in a Shanghai court hearing, according to reports from the Associated Press and Reuters. Proview is seeking a ban on iPad sales in the city as a part of its ongoing trademark dispute with Apple. "Apple has no right to sell iPads under that name," said a lawyer for Proview Shenzhen, Xie Xianghui. Proview once sold a product called the IPAD, or Internet Personal Access Device.
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02/21, 11:00am
Promises court cases to continue
Proview is now "preparing for negotiations" with Apple, says Xie Xianghui, a lawyer representing Proview. "The court cases will continue until we reach an agreement," he adds. While Xie has declined to go into any more detail, he does claim that Apple has expressed "peaceful intentions" in the matter. Apple has yet to publicly respond to requests for comment.
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02/21, 9:50am
Only two suppliers to be checked so far
Apple is telling activists in the US and China that it will soon permit independent environmental reviews of at least two Chinese suppliers, according to USA Today. Prominent Chinese activist Ma Jun, the founder of the Institute of Public & Environmental Affairs, tells the paper that Apple agreed to the reviews in late January. The move is said to have been made in response to two reports by the IPE and other environmental groups, showing toxic chemical use and hazardous waste leaks at companies thought to be Apple suppliers. Apple rarely acknowledges which companies are a part of its supply chain.
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02/20, 11:10am
Accusation comes after minor Proview court victory
Apple is now threatening to sue Proview for defamation as a part of the companies' ongoing iPad trademark dispute, says IDG News. On Monday Apple is reported to have sent a letter to Proview, insisting that Proview Shenzhen chairman Yang Rongshan stop releasing what Apple claims is false information. It warned Proview that it might otherwise launch the defamation suit.
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02/18, 5:15am
ABC's Nightline gets special access to Apple ops
The ABC TV network has announced that it will be screening a special edition of Nightline next week focusing on working conditions in Apple’s supply chain. The network received special permission from Apple, giving it rare media access to the inner workings of where Apple’s products are made. Network anchor Bill Weir took a film crew with him into factories on Shenzhen China, claiming that he is the first journalist to ever get a look inside.
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02/17, 12:25pm
Proview Shenzhen chairman takes hardline
Proview is holding to the position that it retains the iPad trademark in China, the company has announced at a Friday press event. "If we are not compensated properly, then Apple doesn't use the iPad trademark in mainland China," states Yang Rongshan, chairman of Proview Shenzhen, and the main shareholder in Proview International. A representative for Proview creditors in fact suggests that Apple could end up paying as much as $2 billion in compensation, even though Proview has previously only sought up to $1.6 billion in its lawsuit.
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02/16, 12:50pm
Proview dispute allegedly irrelevant
Amazon pulled the iPad from its Chinese storefront because of a lack of authorization, sources for the Wall Street Journal claim. The sources add that Apple has been working with Amazon for weeks on the matter, and that the takedown has nothing to do with Proview, the company suing Apple over use of the iPad trademark in China. Amazon.cn pulled the iPad from listings earlier this week; the Journal's report doesn't explain why another retailer, Suning, also withdrew listings.
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02/16, 9:15am
Insists Proview 'refuses to honor their agreement'
Apple has broken its usual silence on legal matters to defend its assertion to the iPad trademark in China, a China Daily report indicates. "We bought Proview’s worldwide rights to the iPad trademark in 10 different countries several years ago. Proview refuses to honor their agreement with Apple, and a Hong Kong court has sided with Apple in this matter," an Apple statement claims. The company also says that the case is still pending in the Chinese mainland.
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02/15, 12:45pm
Suggests boredom, alienation led to suicides
The president of the Fair Labor Association, Auret van Heerden, is already suggesting that conditions at Foxconn facilities are better than those in many other factories in the country, according to Reuters. The FLA is just beginning a study of Apple's top eight suppliers in China, of which Foxconn is the company's main manufacturing partner. After his initial visits to Foxconn, van Heerden is claiming that "The facilities are first-class; the physical conditions are way, way above average of the norm."
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02/15, 9:20am
Pre-emptive move may put pressure on ProView
In a follow-up to developments reported earlier today, two top online shopping sites in China have removed the iPad from their web pages at Apple's request until a trademark battle between the iPad maker and Chinese company ProView is settled. While authorities have indicated that they are "unlikely" to ban sales of the iPad, ProView contends the tech giant does not have rights to use the name in China and has had some success at seizing iPads for sale there.
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