iPhone 5 Release Date Rumors Swirl, Apple eyes new stores in China

Apple, Inc. plans on expanding its business within two Chinese cities. Chengdu and Shenzhen are locations in which stores may soon be springing up and Apple China is currently searching for sales staff in both major cities.

China only has five Apple stores within the country with three in Shanghai and the others in Beijing. The expanding of locations is expected to increase business for Apple, Inc. in the country. Earlier this year, the company reported a large increase in quarterly profits due to an increase in iPhone sales within China.

"China is very important to us and we look forward to even greater investment and growth there," said Apple CEO, Tim Cook, only a few months ago.

Apple faces only one struggle, however. A lawyer for Proview Technology in Shenzhen told Reuters that if the company attempted to sell iPads at the Shenzhen store, Proview would stop it from happening. Proview and Apple have been legally battling for months, as Proview claims to own the iPad trademark.

According to an official with the Chengdu Industry and Commerce Administration Bureau, Apple had been given the go-ahead in May to create a division to monitor sales and services.  

On Monday, Apple, Inc. gave its last portion of documentation to the Shenzhen government. The documents were submitted for approval to open a new store in an upscale mall located in the Nanshan district.

According to Ni, an official with the Market Supervision Administration who spoke with FirstPost, "Apple is in the final stage and only needs to submit an environmental permit in order to gain approval".

And in iPhone 5 news, an official release date has yet to be released, yet rumours say the technology giant will release the phones in October. According to Phonesreview, many people are hoping to hear official word about the high-tech device at the Apple World Wide Developer Conference (WWDC) starting on Monday in San Francisco. However skeptics declare it's unlikely the company will break its silence until later this year.

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