Updates to this story
Apple is keeping mum in Taiwan. While it plans to launch the iPad here someday, nobody knows when that day will dawn.
According to Chin-hsien Lo, a government official who handles tech problems, Taiwan is ready for the iPad, except for one minor, yet very "complex" issue. While communist China uses the ''simplified Chinese character'' writing system, which current iPads do handle, capitalist Taiwan uses the traditional ''complex Chinese'' writing system which the iPad at present cannot make head or tail of.
Therefore: no iPads in Taiwan until the glitch is fixed.
When a local newspaper tried to contact Apple's office in Taipei, it was told that iPad launch plans have not yet been finalised for this sunny subtropical island nation just 100 miles off the coast of China.
According to news reports, Apple has several licensed service-providers in Taiwan as well as a major domestic consumer electronics retailer ready to go. But so far the US computer giant has not announced the launch date.
"Until we are informed of the launch date, there is nothing we can do," an Apple retail store staffer said.
An employee at another Apple retailer said that she expects iPad sales to begin in November when an upgrade of the tablet's operating system to iOS 4.2 will allow Taiwanese users to input traditional complex Chinese characters. The current OS allows input in simplified Chinese characters only, which can only be read by users in China.
"It's Greek to me," said a Taiwanese college student when asked if she could read simplified characters.
Although the iPad has been on the market for more than six months since its U.S. debut in April, and made headlines around the world, Taiwan has not been on the launch pad yet. However,the sleek tablet is expected to make waves here, too.
For now, some savvy Taipei techies have obtained iPads from overseas, including Japan and Hong Kong, and carried them by hand into Taiwan. It's not completely legal, however.
To get around local regulations banning the sale of parallel imported iPads - the rules say that a person is allowed to buy iPads overseas and bring them back to Taipei for their own use, but not for reselling - some impatient vendors and online sellers here have found a way to skirt the law.
In addition, some Taiwanese people are also advertising services online to purchase iPads abroad and carry them back to Taiwan - for a charge. Owners of these imported iPads are generally paying top dollar, of course.
In the end, it all comes down to a character problem for Apple in Taiwan.
Once traditional Chinese characters make peace with the iPad, there will be two different kinds of iPads on each side of the Taiwan Strait - one for China, one for Taiwan. It's not a political issue this time. It all comes down to Mao's legacy, because he's the bloke who made China go "simplified," jettisoning 5,000 years of Middle Kingdom history for the sake of his throne.
Presumably they use computers in Taiwan, so I'd assume it is possible to interact with a digital version of 'complex' Chinese. And since Apple is based on the open-source Unix operating system, I'd assume they have the capacity to integrate other languages. So I wonder what's keeping them from fitting these two pieces together.
Of course, sometimes the answers to these questions are less technological and more political. Where there's a will, anything is possible.
That's a great article!
HM
I take issue with some of this article above. just an opinion, based on being on both sides of the Strait, not one.
isn't the introduction of Mao with a story about iPads OVERLY defensive. even unnecessary? I mean the japanese adapted chinese script and noone's giving them shit about it. of course, its simplicity is its beauty .
but on a political tip the Nobel Peace Prize award was a classic of timing and caused a predictable stir here -- and quite right too. Absolutely fantastic and highlights in a beautiful way the very real problems here with freedom of expression etc. and all it took was the giving of an award. great stuff.
The economic issue is quite different and of course China is capitalist. same as taiwan. Marxism is all about capital. Marx's book was called Das Kapital!!!
Apple plans to sell iPad in Taiwan hit hurdle
Tablet doesn't support "complex Chinese" writing system
15 October 2010 By Rik Henderson
One of the countries yet to see Apple's iPad hit local stores is Taiwan, the home of many of the company's rival tablet manufacturers. Certainly, it's an area that Steve Jobs and co would like to see their product thrive.
However, there's one major sticking point as to why Apple can't release its device in the country, it doesn't currently support the local writing system.
While the iPad is compatible with the "simplified Chinese character" system adopted by China, it can't make head nor tail of "complex Chinese". So, unless that comes along as part of iOS 4.2 in November, there won't be much Taiwanese demand for a product that doesn't understand simple written commands.
That said, the heel-kicking that's going on has created a substantial market for grey import iPads - generally from Japan and Hong Kong. However, under Taiwanese law, while people are allowed to buy the device abroad and bring it back into the country, they are not allowed to sell it on. Naturally, several retailers are doing just that.
So, until Apple sorts out its OS and puts the iPad on sale in Taiwan, there will always be a healthy tablet smuggling operation - a bit like in Amsterdam, only not as often hidden up someone's bottom.
Are you the owner of a grey import iPad? If so, did it cost substantially more? Let us know in the comments below...
Rik Henderson was kind enough to email with a nice note, saying:
Hi Danny,
[We do] credit the original story. At the bottom, we (like almost all other
technology websites) put the original (clickable) link as a "via", and you
can see that I added techeye as the original source, plus 9to5mac.com as the
place where I first saw the story.
If our readers click on techeye, they come through to your story. If they
click on 9to5mac.com, they go through to their's (which then has your story
as a clickable link at the bottom). Win, win!
Cheers,
Rik
Rik Henderson
News Editor
www.pocket-lint.com
London
And all the word said "traditional Chinese", rarely saying "traditiona COMPLEX Chinese" though we know the directly translated from Chinese it is. But keep to the "conventioal" way to say it isn't that hard, right? especially you are writing an article about tech.
You keep saying "not politic" but in your article you present comments pertainng to "pilitic". I think you should adjust your way of writing article to lessen the "politic" words or sentences at best you can.
And all the world said "traditional Chinese", rarely saying "traditiona COMPLEX Chinese" though we know it's the directly translation from Chinese. But keep to the "conventional" way to say it isn't that hard, right? Especially you are writing an article about tech.
Have a look at http://liangansandi.blogspot.com/2010/10/getting-your-facts-right.html