First visitor is U.S. tourist who waited 68 hours

Taiwan News
Date: 2017/07/01
By: Matthew Strong, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Taiwan’s first Apple retail store opened at the iconic Taipei 101 building

Saturday under massive public attention.

The supply of about 2,000 red special souvenir T-shirts had been given away just two hours and eight minutes after the start of the event, reports said, but even later, masses of interested passersby still continued pouring into the store at a rate estimated at 1,000 per hour, even if their wait included a stint outside in temperatures of 35 degrees.

The first visitor to enter the new shop was a young traveler from the United States called Steve. He said he had been lining up for 68 hours to have his old MacBook fixed and all he wanted was to go back home and sleep.

The 130 shop assistants welcomed visitors by high-fiving them. Buyers do not have to search for a cash desk as they can approach any member of staff, identified by dark-blue T-shirts with a white Apple logo, and ask them for assistance, reports said.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2017/07/03
By: Chen Cheng-wei and Frances Huang

Taipei, July 3 (CNA) Taiwan is planning to set up a national investment company by the end of August

to speed up the pace of technology innovation in the country, National Development Council (NDC) deputy chief Kung Ming-hsin (龔明鑫) said Monday.

In its initial phase, the national investment firm, called Taishan Investment and Management Co. Ltd. (台杉投資管理股份有限公司), will have paid-in capital of NT$250 million (US$8.22 million), Kung said.

Over the longer term, the investment entity is hoping to raise NT$10 billion in funds for future investments.

Kung said the Internet of Things will likely be the first sector targeted by the company, and then it will look to a wide range of other high-tech opportunities, including in the semiconductor, green energy, smart machinery, and national defense sectors.    [FULL  STORY]

The China Post
Date: July 4, 2017
By: The China Post

TAIPEI, Taiwan — A recent merger between the Hong Kong-listed HMV Digital China Ltd. and the

Taipei-based Hualien Media International will help bring the best of entertainment content from Hong Kong and Taiwan to all Chinese-speaking markets, chairmen of both companies said in a meeting with local press in Taipei on Monday.

George Hsieh (謝國樑), chairman of Hualien Media — the Taiwanese entertainment group behind local hits including the NT$2.8-billion megahit “Our Times” (我的少女時代) — said that making Taiwanese movies with a strong appeal in the Chinese-speaking market had long been his goal.

He said this goal was built into the name of his company, which literally means “uniting the Chinese-speaking world.”

Hsieh, who is also the chairman and publisher of The China Post, said he had been in talks for a merger with HMV Digital since the second half of 2016. He stressed that the merger was conducted in strict compliance with the laws and regulations of Taiwan.    [FULL  STORY]

A New Yorker lines up for three days to become the first visitor of Taiwan’s first Apple Store

Taiwan News
Date: 2017/07/02
By: Rana Yeh, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — An American tourist camped out of Taiwan’s first Apple retail store for 3 days

to have his old MacBook fixed.

Steve, the first visitor to enter the new shop, was a 28-year-old traveler from the United States. He said he had been lining up since June 28, staring from 3 o’clock in the afternoon. He had stayed outside the store for 68 hours until it opened in the iconic Taipei 101 building on July 1.

Steve said he was once expelled by security guards while waiting outside at one point, but he came back to the line soon in order to have his old MacBook fixed, which was released in 2008 and has deep sentimental value to him.

After achieving his goal and receiving cheers from all the Apple Store employees, Steve said all he wanted to do was go back home and sleep.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2017/07/02
By: Tsai Yi-chu and Evelyn Kao

Taipei, July 2 (CNA) State-owned oil refiner CPC Corp., Taiwan (中油) announced on Sunday that it will increase gasoline and diesel fuel prices by NT$0.3 (US$0.01) per liter, starting at midnight, after international crude oil prices bounced back last week.

After the price hike, fuel prices at CPC gas stations will increase to NT$20.3 per liter for super diesel, NT$22.8 per liter for 92 octane unleaded, NT$24.3 per liter for 95 unleaded and NT$26.3 per liter for 98 unleaded, the company said.

This is the first hike in five weeks, as reduced fears of an oil glut sent international crude oil prices higher last week.

The company said it decided to raise prices of its diesel fuel and gasoline this week after taking into account international crude price fluctuations and currency exchange rates.    [FULL  STORY]

Local operator failed to compete with minimarkets

Taiwan News
Date: 2017/06/30
By: Matthew Strong, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – All 136 7-Eleven convenience stores in Indonesia are set to close following a

failed sale by its local operator, Modern Internasional, Japan’s Nikkei Asian Review reported Friday.

The convenience store brand entered the Southeast Asian country in 2009 but was unable to overcome competition from two local chains with a longer history and from street food stalls.

Modern Internasional reached an agreement earlier this year to sell the 24-hour stores to Thai conglomerate Charoen Pokphand, which owns an affiliate running the world’s second-largest 7-Eleven network, in Thailand.

However, the deal became unstuck in early June, the Nikkei reported, leaving Modern Internasional no choice but to shutter its 7-Eleven operations, with the final more than 100 stores ceasing business Friday.    [FULL  STORY]