Stronger, faster iPhone 3GS will hit stores June 19

Stronger, faster iPhone 3GS will hit stores June 19

By John D. Sutter
CNN

(CNN) -- A new, faster version of the popular iPhone will hit stores June 19, Apple said Monday.
The new iPhone 3GS will have a camera that shoots video and zooms, among other new features.

The new iPhone 3GS will have a camera that shoots video and zooms, among other new features.

The iPhone 3GS is billed as a more powerful, feature-laden follow-up to the 3G, which the company says revolutionized the way people use mobile phones.

The 3GS features a similar look to the current iPhone, complete with a sleek rectangular shape and a large touch screen. But the phone comes packed with new features inside, according to CNET reporter Erica Ogg, who blogged live from the event.

Ogg says the 3GS has a new camera that shoots video and zooms. A touch-screen feature also lets iPhone photographers tap the area of the photo they would like to put into focus, she says.

The new phone reportedly will have a longer battery life.

iPhone 3GS will be available in the United States on June 19 and will hit 80 countries by August, Ogg says.

The new iPhone carries a price tag similar to the old iPhone. A version with 16 gigabytes of storage will sell for $199 with a new contract; one with a 32-gigabyte storage capacity will cost $299. Video Watch Wired.com's Dylan Tweney on Apple's big announcement »

Apple also said it has dropped the price of the current iPhone 3G to $99 ahead of the release of the 3GS. The $99 model features 8 gigabytes of storage.

The announcements came at Apple's much-anticipated Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco, California. The annual event was attended by 5,000 Apple tech developers, Fortune reports.

WWDC, as the conference is called, is known for its innovative announcements. Apple appeared to meet expectations of many tech bloggers, who had been awaiting a new iPhone model.
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Perhaps the only disappointment was that Apple CEO Steve Jobs did not make an appearance on stage. There had been speculation online that the popular tech figure would make a cameo at the event. Jobs has been on medical leave since January.

Apple also discussed a new iPhone operating system, version 3.0, which adds a cut-copy-paste feature to current iPhones. Apple said the new software adds 100 new features.

One of those getting the most buzz was the Find My iPhone feature, which will be available only for customers of Mobile Me, an Apple service that lets users sync e-mail and other data between computers and iPhones.

If you lose your phone, Mobile Me will display a Google Map that shows where your iPhone is, as long as it's turned on. You can then send a message to the phone, and it will sound an alarm, alerting nearby people to save it for you. If you think you've lost the phone permanently, you can remotely wipe all your data; if you find your missing phone later, you can plug it into iTunes and restore all your data.

New iPhone applications were also discussed. Apple has gotten widespread praise for the fact that independent developers can create programs for the iPhone.

Read blogs from CNET and Fortune for details on the latest iPhone apps and other news from Monday's event.

Apple's laptops and computer operating systems were also discussed Monday.

Apple Senior Vice President Bertrand Serlet took the stage to demonstrate the company's newest operating system, called Snow Leopard. It will hit stores in September, although a "near-final" version was made available for developers Monday.

Serlet also said that Apple's Safari 4 browser, which was released in beta in February, will ship Monday.

Apple marketing head Philip Schiller also unveiled a new version of a 15-inch MacBook Pro, which he said will feature up to seven hours of battery life. The unibody aluminum laptop boasts a new battery that can handle 1,000 recharges and should last five years before its life begins to diminish, he said.

Phones remained the focus of the event, however.

Apple's phones are the second-best-selling consumer smartphones in the U.S., according to the NPD Group, an online market-research firm.
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Smartphones are a category of mobile phones that act kind of like personal computers, allowing people to surf the Internet, share photos and keep up with e-mail while on the move. About a quarter of all consumer phones sold from January to April of this year were smartphones, NPD says.

The iPhone faces new competition from the Palm Pre, a smartphone that debuted Friday and claims to combine Apple's popular touch screen with a more functional keyboard, like the one found on a popular business-class smartphone, the BlackBerry.

CNN's Brandon Griggs contributed to this report.

Source :http://edition.cnn.com

Inside the IPhone 3G S's Pricing

Inside the IPhone 3G S's Pricing
Dan Moren, Macworld.com


The news that Apple would be selling its fancy new iPhone 3G S for the same prices as the iPhone 3G was greeted by applause at Monday morning's WWDC keynote. The new, faster iPhone will cost $199 for the 16GB model and $299 for the 32GB model; the 8GB iPhone 3G price, meanwhile, will be reduced to $99.

But, as interested customers soon discovered, those prices aren't necessarily the same for all customers. The price points Apple touted during its presentation are available only to new AT&T customers and those the provider deems eligible for an upgrade, which depends largely on how far along they are in their contract. AT&T spokesperson Mark Siegel told Macworld that customers should check their eligibility status, which they can do via Apple's online store or AT&T's Web site before purchase, just to make sure.

Some current customers will also be eligible for early upgrade pricing, which comes at a slightly discounted price--though it's a higher price than the one that Apple mentioned in its keynote. Under this discount, the current 8GB iPhone 3G costs $299, the 16GB iPhone 3G S $399, and the 32GB iPhone 3G S costs $599. In addition, customers will have to pay an $18 upgrade fee.

A quick survey of existing iPhone and iPhone 3G users in the Macworld office found that the date at which customers became eligible for the full discount prices varied, in part due to when they purchased their phone, though other factors seem to play in as well, since the dates ranged from July 12, 2009 to March 12, 2010.

Of course, the reason for the price hikes boils down to subsidies. The original iPhone was sold with no subsidy at all for the carrier: the price of the device that the consumer paid was Apple's full retail price. Instead, Apple got a cut of the monthly subscription fees that AT&T customers paid.

However, when Apple announced the iPhone 3G, it gave up its cut of subscriber fees in exchange for AT&T subsidizing some of the cost of the phone. So, while customers could pick up a brand new iPhone 3G for $199 or $299, the full retail cost of the phone--paid by those who, for example, didn't want to sign a two-year contract--was higher: $599 and $699.

Wireless companies often offer subsidies for devices that require lengthy contracts, since they're guaranteed to recoup the discount by having customers for a long period of time. That's also why early termination fees are so hefty: they help compensate for the discount that the provider gave the customer on the handset.


Source :http://www.pcworld.com

New Apple iPhone 3G S shows promise with speed, battery life

New Apple iPhone 3G S shows promise with speed, battery life
By Edward C. Baig, USA TODAY


SAN FRANCISCO — On the surface anyway, Apple is giving the smartphone faithful many features they've been clamoring for. The new iPhone 3G S that arrives in the U.S. and certain foreign countries on June 19 adds a better digital camera (3 megapixel, autofocus, still no flash), the ability to shoot and edit video, plus voice controls for making calls or playing back music.

Apple is promising superior battery life (let's hope) and faster performance — the "S" in 3G S signifies "speed." Apple claims it'll render Web pages and launch applications twice as fast on average as the iPhone 3G. We'll see.

UNVEILING: Apple shows off new iPhone 3G S

A model with 16 gigabytes will cost $199 with the usual two-year AT&T contract; a new 32-GB model goes for $100 more.

Meanwhile, by dropping the price on the existing 8-GB iPhone 3G to just $99, Apple is making a major play for new buyers.
FIND MORE STORIES IN: Apple Inc.

The 3G S models are virtual twins to the iPhone 3G, except there's now a white version to complement traditional black.

Both the new and existing iPhones can take advantage of iPhone OS 3.0 software. This major upgrade, free for iPhone customers and $9.95 for folks who use iPod Touch, brings cut, copy and paste, better search, expanded parental controls, and MMS picture messaging, among other features.

Actually, you'll have wait for AT&T to turn on MMS for U.S. subscribers. It plans to add the capability late in the summer.

The 3.0 software, coming June 17, also promises to let you "tether" the iPhone to a PC or Mac, meaning your computer can piggyback on the iPhone's wireless connection when Wi-Fi isn't available. AT&T must flip the switch on that, too; no word yet on when, or what (if anything) it will charge.

If you lose your iPhone there's now a feature that may help you get it back, though you'll have to subscribe to Apple's $99-a-year MobileMe service.

It is aptly named Find My iPhone. If the phone is turned on and has coverage, you can display its whereabouts on a map. You can also remotely send a message that will appear on the screen to let the Good Samaritan who may have picked it up know how to get in touch with you. And if it turns out the missing phone is actually in your house somewhere, you can make it sound an alarm (even if it is set on silent mode). If the phone is lost for good, you can erase all its data from afar.

Of course, some touted features are unique to the iPhone 3G S. Take voice. You can dial a number or name in your address book by talking aloud, but lots of phones do that. The difference here is you can also use voice to control music playback. You can ask out loud to play a song or album — and even ask the iPhone to play more music like the song you're listening to. The iPhone taps into the "Genius" feature in iTunes to come up with a playlist.

Also new to the 3G S is built-in digital compass to keep you pointed in the right direction. I'll let you know if Apple is still on the right course once I've had a chance to put the new iPhone hardware and software through the ringer.

E-mail: ebaig@usatoday.com

Source :http://www.usatoday.com

New Apple iPhone features get under your skin

New Apple iPhone features get under your skin
Posted by: Eddie Chan

Among all the limelight-hogging features and rock-bottom prices unveiled at Apple’s annual Worldwide Developers’ conference on Monday, two underscored the potential for the consumer electronics giant to sidle up and get up-close and personal with users – whether they like it or not.

For the hundreds gathered in San Francisco for the company’s annual developers’ pow-wow, Apple previewed a new iPhone feature that will allow users to remotely locate their device if they ever get separated from it. Executives highlighted another application that, eerily, can directly monitor a person’s vital signs.

In this day and age, when millions advertise not just their location but what they had for dessert via social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter, it’s unclear how consumers will respond to functions that monitor their movements or their inner workings. Favorably, judging from the applause and hooting when those features were expounded upon.

Find My iPhone allows users to remotely locate their device via the Web. Logging onto Apple’s MobileMe, users can locate their phone on a map; send a text message to the phone, asking that it be returned; or play a strdient alert or alarm. The feature is intended to aid finding a phone left unattended at a restaurant or hidden under a couch cushion, developers said.

The new software also has a feature that allows users to remotely “wipe” the device of all data if it is truly lost or stolen - but allows users to reload the wiped data via Apple’s iTunes Web site — which usually offers music, applications and even video for sale — if the phone is then found, meaning data is periodically stored via a user’s iTunes account.

Besides additional uses of the phone’s GPS capability, Apple on Monday highlighted a third party app that allows doctors to monitor patients’ vital signs remotely - real-time heart rate, temperature, blood pressure and other data - clearly helpful for on-call doctors but also very private information.

The Critical Care app from AirStrip Technologies has yet to be approved by the FDA, but the company said it was in advanced testing and expects the app will soon be available.

(By Clare Baldwin)

Source : http://blogs.reuters.com

Some early iPhone 3G S adopters subject to $200 "Apple tax"

Some early iPhone 3G S adopters subject to $200 "Apple tax"
by David Martin

Since last year's announcement of the iPhone 3G, customers have grown accustomed to a price tag heavily subsidized by AT&T. Similarly, the jus-announced iPhone 3G S will be offered in a 16GB model for $199 and a 32GB model for $299--but only if you are adding a line to your AT&T service or you are a new AT&T subscriber. Early iPhone 3G adopters seeking to upgrade will be face serious sticker shock.

If you purchased an iPhone 3G on or after July 11, 2009, you will not be able to purchase an iPhone 3G S at a reduced price until you reach your one-year anniversary. (We've determined this cutoff by checking a sampling of existing AT&T accounts via AT&T's myWireless Account Web site.) If you want the new iPhone 3G S early, you will have to pay an additional $200 for the hardware, raising the cost of a new iPhone to $399 and $499 respectively. The only alternative to this price increase is to wait for your first iPhone anniversary before buying. On top of the price increase, you will--as expected--have to sign another two-year service agreement.

The pricing history of the iPhone has been tumultuous from the beginning, hitting its pinnacle quickly: $599 for an original 8GB iPhone. Apple and AT&T significantly reduced in price shortly thereafter, angering enough iPhone buyers that Apple gave away $100 rebates to the angry hordes.

Is Apple trying to take advantage of loyal customers by releasing the new iPhone 3G S nearly a month before existing customers--many who are loyal and anxious to upgrade--are eligible for reduced pricing? Let us know what you think about this situation in the comments.

Source :http://reviews.cnet.com

Apple Cuts Prices Strategically

Apple Cuts Prices Strategically
By Peter Burrows

A $99 iPhone and cheaper MacBook Pro laptops are announced in tandem with the new, pricier iPhone 3G S. Apple also expects higher profits from apps

Throughout the recession, Apple (AAPL) watchers have wondered whether the consumer electronics giant would release cheaper products to appeal to today's thrifty consumers. With sales of many products from other companies in the doldrums, the conventional wisdom goes, Apple could walk off with huge slices of market share for everything from Macs to iPods to iPhones if it would just lower their prices.

Apple ended the suspense at a company event for software developers on June 8, cutting the price on the most recent version of its iPhone and some versions of its MacBook Pro line of laptops. But far from slashing prices willy nilly, Apple made targeted cuts likely to help it win share without sacrificing the earnings gains that have powered an 80% increase in the stock price since mid-January, to 140.

The most dramatic move was to cut by half the price of today's iPhone 3G, to $99. Piper Jaffray (PJC) analyst Gene Munster speculates this cut will double demand for the phone—as occurred after Apple cut the price on the original device to $199 from $399 in June 2008. Apple's most recent reduction came two days after rival Palm (PALM) introduced its much-hyped Pre smartphone for $199. "I figured Apple would come in at closer to $149," Munster says. "They're clearly hungry for market share, and they don't want to give the Palm Pre room to breathe."

Even as it gains share, Apple is unlikely to sacrifice much margin. Analysts believe the profit margin on the $99 device will be roughly as cushy as in the past. Apple is benefiting from falling component prices as demand for displays, memory chips, hard drives, and other components dries up.

And given Apple's confidence in its ability to create hit products, the company has a penchant for convincing suppliers to give it even better prices in exchange for agreeing to buy up lots of units well into the future. Says one partner who asked not to be identified, "They got a very sweet deal from us, because we want to be in their future products." The huge increase in iPhones shipped will let the company better spread some fixed costs, such as for software development and advertising, over more revenue. Analysts figure that AT&T (T), the exclusive partner for the iPhone in the U.S., will pay for some of that $100 price drop, so as to lock customers in to the lucrative two-year sales contract. AT&T spokesman Mark Siegel says "the impact [of the subsidy on AT&T's bottom line] will be minimal," though he declined to elaborate.
Little if Any Impact on Gross Margins

No doubt, there are fewer dollars of profit on a $99 product compared to one that sells for twice that amount. But Apple also announced a faster, pricier new model that could help make up the difference. Called the iPhone 3G S—"the S is for speed," Apple marketing chief Phil Schiller told the crowd at San Francisco's Moscone Center—the device will cost $199 for a model with 16 gigabytes of storage and $299 for a 32GB model. Given that the additional 16GB cost only $24 or so, Apple is clearly keeping plenty of profit by charging $100 more, says David Carey, an analyst at tech consultancy Portelligent.

Apple can also expect a rising tide of profits from software. The company takes 30% of the sales from programs sold in its App Store.

Source :http://www.businessweek.com

Apple Adds Faster iPhone With Several New Features

Apple Adds Faster iPhone With Several New Features
By Mike Musgrove
Washington Post Staff Writer

The latest iPhone, available next week, is faster than its predecessors, has an improved camera, can record videos and appears to be just what many Mac fans have been waiting for this year.

Apple unveiled the latest version of its popular iPhone, called 3G S, at a trade show for Mac users yesterday in San Francisco. The company, known for using the conference to launch new, often game-changing devices, touted its next-generation iPhone as its fastest-running smartphone yet. The "S" stands for "speed," after all.

Speaking from the stage at the company's Worldwide Developers Conference, Apple vice president of worldwide marketing Philip W. Schiller showed how the new iPhone's camera lets users decide what the lens should focus on with the touch of a finger. With a set of voice controls, users can upload an iPhone video to YouTube with a spoken command.

The new device, priced at $199 and $299, will be available at the end of next week, the company said. The more expensive version comes with 32 gigabytes of storage space, a new capacity for the device. The less expensive iPhone has 16 gigabytes.

And the price of last week's cutting-edge model, the iPhone 3G? It's been reduced from $199 to $99.

Tech pundit Tim Bajarin, with Silicon Valley think tank Creative Strategies, said the cheaper, older iPhone should allow Apple to speed up the adoption of the smartphone. As for the new models, iPhone "is evolving into being a PC in your pocket, not just a smartphone," he said.

Chief executive Steve Jobs, who has long been a dominant presence on the stage at this event, was a no-show. A survivor of pancreatic cancer, Jobs has been on medical leave since January and is scheduled to return later this month. Late last week, news sites were abuzz with a report asserting that the event could mark Jobs's return to the company.

Apple had already previewed the third major version of the iPhone's operating system in March. The device's software offers 300 new features, the company said. That includes some long-overlooked basic features that iPhone owners have been waiting for since the device went on sale, such as "cut and paste," which allows users to copy text from one application to another.

Apple also introduced "Find My iPhone," a feature designed to help owners who have misplaced their device. Lose the phone under the sofa, and users will be able to send the iPhone a message ordering it to make a sound. If the device has been stolen, it will be possible to send a command to erase its memory, so that sensitive information is not compromised.

Other new applications include a GPS program that will give users turn-by-turn driving directions, another function that owners or potential owners of iPhone have been requesting. With another application from online car rental agency Zipcar, customers could unlock rental car doors by pushing an iPhone button.

The company unveiled new versions of its MacBook Pro laptops, which will feature longer-lasting batteries. According to Schiller, the number of Mac users has tripled in the last two years to 75 million.

Source :http://www.washingtonpost.com

Apple Rolls Out New IPhone and Cheaper $99 Model

Video: Apple Rolls Out New IPhone and Cheaper $99 Model
The Associated Press

Pay for dad’s upkeep, court tells NRI son

Pay for dad’s upkeep, court tells NRI son

SURAT: Like any doting parent, Aspi Satarawala fulfilled all the wishes of his only son Pesi. Not only did he pay for his education till he got
an MBA degree and got him married, the father spent his entire life’s savings to help Pesi settle in the US. But, at 65, Satarawala is regretting that he did so much for his son.

Since he left for the US in 1998, Pesi has left his ageing father to fend for himself in Navsari, not sending a penny back. Instead of quietly retiring, Satarawala is forced to work as a part-time accountant in a local firm and as assistant to the priest in the Agiary for a meagre Rs 1,500 every month. Satarawala retired as manager of a leather manufacturing unit in Mumbai in 1997.

But, Satarawala has not taken his son’s indifference kindly and dragged him to court. A Navsari court ordered Pesi to pay Rs 5,000 every month as maintenance to this father last year.

“But Pesi did not follow the court’s order,” Satarwala’s lawyer Narendra Desai said. He then approached the Indian Embassy in the US and US consulate in India. The Indian Embassy directed Pesi to go to India and settle the matter. The Navsari court has directed Pesi to remain present in person on June 29.

Pesi is currently in Chennai at his in-laws residence and has trying persuade his father for an out-of-court settlement. “But, Satarawala is in no mood to discuss the issue till Pesi presents himself in court,” said Desai.

Satarawala is among many Parsis, who suffer from the empty nest syndrome after their children fly off to distant shores. “Pesi has not even bothered to talk to me for the past 11 years despite my attempts,” said Satarawala.


Source : http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Pakistan tribesmen battle Taliban

Pakistan tribesmen battle Taliban

Hundreds of tribesmen are continuing an offensive against Taliban militants in north-west Pakistan, officials say.

At least 11 Taleban are said to have been killed in the three-day offensive.

It follows the bombing of a mosque on Friday which killed 38 people in Upper Dir district. Villagers blamed the bombing on Taliban fighters.

Nearby Swat valley has been the scene of heavy fighting between the Pakistani military and Taliban militants. Upper Dir has also seen sporadic clashes.

'Tough fight'

Local officials say between 1,000 and 1,500 tribesmen are involved in the offensive against the Taliban.

Tribesmen attacked five villages in the Dhok Darra area which are thought to be militant strongholds, the Associated Press news agency quoted district official Atif-ur-Rehman as saying.

The citizens' militia had occupied three of the villages since Saturday and was trying to push the Taliban out of two others on Sunday, he said.

Some 20 houses of local tribesmen suspected of harbouring Taliban fighters were destroyed, the official said.

See a map of the region

"It is something very positive that tribesmen are standing against the militants. It will discourage the miscreants," Mr Rehman said.

At least 11 militants had been killed by Sunday afternoon, AP quoted district police chief Ejaz Ahmad as saying.

He said around 200 militants were putting up a tough fight but were surrounded by the villagers.

The government has encouraged local citizens to set up militias, known as lashkars, to fight the Taliban in the region bordering Afghanistan where al-Qaeda and the Taliban are known to have hideouts.

This is not the first time a tribal force has attempted to battle the Taliban. In the Salarzai area of Bajaur, just such a tribal force successfully denied sanctuary to the Taliban in November 2008.

But these efforts have come at a cost in the past as Taliban militants have retaliated by targeting tribal gatherings, or jirgas, with suicide attacks.

Taliban members in north-west Pakistan
The Taliban has retaliated with ferocity against tribal forces in the past.

The BBC's M Ilyas Khan in Islamabad says the idea of lashkars had been seen to be futile - particularly when the Taliban were able to punish tribal elders and communities with impunity in areas where government forces were unable to provide adequate security.

But, our correspondent says, the key difference this time is that the present military action in Swat appears to have convinced people that the government is serious about countering the Taliban.

If this impression spreads there may be further examples of local forces taking on Taliban fighters, he says.

There has been broad public support for the army's offensive against the Taliban in Swat valley, including from opposition parties, the media, and even some religious leaders.

Public opinion appears to have generally shifted against the Swat Taliban since they broke a peace deal earlier this year which imposed Sharia law in Swat valley and other parts of Malakand division.

Escalating violence

Friday's bomb explosion killed at least 38 people and wounded dozens more.

Police said a suicide bomber detonated explosives at the mosque in Hayagai Sharki village, about 15km (nine miles) from the town of Upper Dir.

There has been no claim of responsibility for the blast, but there have been a number of suicide attacks linked to the Taliban insurgency in the north-west.

In March, about 50 people died in a suicide bomb attack at a mosque near Jamrud, on the Khyber Pass route to Afghanistan.

There are fears that such attacks are part of a militant backlash across the north-west in response to the army's anti-Taliban offensive. The army says it has captured a number of militant strongholds in the past week.

But the fighting has displaced more than two million people, raising fears of a humanitarian crisis in overstretched camps trying to cope with those forced to leave their homes.





Source :http://news.bbc.co.uk

Chinese passing off fake drugs as ‘Made in India’

Chinese passing off fake drugs as ‘Made in India’

Are fake drugs manufactured in China being pushed into various African countries with the `Made in India' tag? The Indian government
has long suspected this to be the case, but it now has definite evidence for the first time.

Last week, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) of Nigeria issued a press release stating that a large consignment of fake anti-malarial generic pharmaceuticals labelled `Made in India' were, in fact, found to have been produced in China.

New Delhi has registered ``strong protest'' with the Chinese mission and China's foreign trade ministry, according to sources in the commerce ministry.

India's High Commissioner in the Nigerian capital of Abuja, Mahesh Sachdev, had earlier written to then commerce secretary GSK Pillai, alerting him to the large seizure: ``While this is a case of a Chinese company exporting fake `Made in India' labelled medicines which has been accidentally exposed, it is unlikely to be an isolated incident. Indeed there is no reason for Nigeria to be the only country to be receiving such consignments.''

His letter went on to say: ``Fake foreign-made generics carrying `Made in India' label can do tremendous harm to our interests. It not only dents our image and takes our legitimate market share, it also erodes the distinction between generic and fake medicines that we have been campaigning for at WHO and WTO''.

Commerce ministry sources said: ``We have had many complaints about such fake drugs from China being offloaded as Indian drugs in countries like Ghana, South Africa, Ivory Coast and West Africa — in general, where India has a substantial market share. But so far there has been no formal complaint. This is the first time that such a large international consignment has been seized and this will be taken up strongly with the Chinese side.''

Sachdev in his letter said that he had spoken to the director-general of NAFDAC Dr Paul Orhii who said that the Nigerian preference for generics made such cases of fake drugs more common. He expressed NAFDAC's determination to curb circulation of substandard fake medicines.

India and China have been held primarily responsible for fake drugs in the Nigerian market in particular and Africa in general. About 60% of drugs in Nigeria are imported. Between 2001 and 2007, more than 30 Indian and Chinese companies were banned in Nigeria for exporting fake drugs to the country.

However, Dr Mira Shiva of the Initiative for Health Equity and Society (IHES) told TOI that both India and China being large manufacturers of generics, multinational firms would look to discredit the two countries and label their drugs as substandard, so that they would have greater access to the African markets. She warned against the two countries trying to run each other down before ascertaining the full facts in the case to rule out any orchestration, but added that India ought to be more careful to ensure the quality of the drugs exported as well as sold domestically.

Source : http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com