6 must-read tech stories in China this week

Lots of familiar names making the news this week: WeChat, Apple’s iPhone, Alibaba, and Xiaomi. Here’s what they were up to…

1. WeChat gets ready for primetime with upcoming release of WeChat TV

2013 has been the year of smart TVs going mainstream in China, thanks to Chinese web companies putting their familiar names to new smart TV OSes. WeChat, the popular messaging app, doesn’t want to be left out.

2. Iran bans another social network, blocks WeChat messaging app

China-made messaging app WeChat is looking to young smartphone owners across Southeast Asia and the Middle East to boost its numbers, so it got quite a blow this week from Iranian authorities.

3. Apple’s deal with China Mobile now official, iPhones coming to 4G and 3G in China next month

It came a week later than expected (when China Mobile turned on 4G) but it’s finally now for real. Thank god that rumor-mill can now shut down.

4. 8 tech trends to watch in China for 2014

It’s the last full week of the year, so we’ve been delving through the archives to unearth gems of insight from what’s happened during the year – and to get a feel for what will happen next year.

5. 9 ways that e-commerce titan Alibaba diversified and went social in 2013

2013 was an incredible year for Alibaba. Founder Jack Ma made way for a new CEO, and the company diversified like never before.

6. Xiaomi reports monthly revenues of $4.9 million from its MIUI Android ecosystem

Startup phone-maker Xiaomi has emphasised that it’s an e-commerce and services company more so than a mere gadget maker. And so it’s important to the company that its Android skin and ecosystem, called MIUI, is pulling in real money from its tens of millions of users.