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Ben Kwok

Apple fans and partners kept salivating for latest iPhone
Steve Jobs is not known as a marketing genius for nothing. For one thing, he knows how to keep his fans hungry and feed them what they long for.
Apple's media strategy reflects just that. Unveiling his company's latest iPhone to take on the third-generation mobile arena, his public relations troops tried to keep everything under wraps  until after Mr Jobs began his speech.
By the end of his spiel, we figure 21 news releases, including 17 joint announcements with various mobile operators in different continents, were posted on Apple's website.
Widely expected to be a hot product, Mr Jobs pledged that the new iPhone would be twice as fast with internet access but at half the price. It is obvious the new MobileMe service was designed specifically to challenge BlackBerry.
Given that most 3G phone launches tend to be disappointing, we have tried to anticipate what would happen with the July 11 global launch by talking to our Asian telecommunications sources, some of whom are Apple's working partners.
We are told Apple likes to hold its cards close to its chest. These people either have yet to receive any information from Apple, or they are bound by a non-disclosure agreement to stay mum, which one can draw from the same line they gave: 'It is a story for Apple to tell.'
Well, that's enough to keep up the expectation!
Prince Richard and PCCW
PCCW is no longer a blue chip, but don't think for a moment that it will be out of the limelight.
Prince Richard's  telecommunications flagship  bought back 10 million of its own shares at HK$4.84 each  on Friday, the last day it was a Hang Seng Index constituent stock.
Our records showed PCCW had  not bought back shares since the Prince took over Hongkong Telecom, its predecessor, almost eight years ago.
This was also his third attempt to prove that PCCW might be a value play. Only two weeks ago, he unveiled a plan to sell to the highest bidder 45 per cent of PCCW's assets. And after backing down from a proposed sale of the  telecommunications operator to Macquarie Group of Australia in 2006, then warding off a politically more savvy counter-offer engineered by his father to buy a controlling stake indirectly, the Prince raised his own holding in December that year to about 29 per cent.
Iron ladies in the boys' club
If you think HSBC means Hongkong and Shanghai Boys Club - as 90 per cent of the directors are male - think again.
The bank's local subsidiary has invited reporters to meet  the bank's four most powerful women in Asia, who happen to be in town today.
Group general managers Margaret Leung Ko May-yee, global co-head of commercial banking, and Anita Fung Yuen-mei, treasurer and head of global markets for Asia-Pacific, will play host to India country head Naina Lal Kidwai and chief executive of Malaysia Irene Dorner.
Go green and win a hybrid car
Call it shareholder power. Less than two weeks after an HSBC shareholder told chief executive Michael Geoghegan how unhappy he was to receive eight pages of corporate credit card statements, the bank quickly reacted with a green car lucky draw.
Over the weekend, the bank invited its registered online users to sign up for online statements with a chance to win a Toyota Prius hybrid.
The bank said it started launching environmental initiatives before the shareholder's complaint and planned to implement several similar activities in  phases  focusing on individual banking services, such as securities trading.
Giveaways outdo dividends
Just because you like its beer doesn't mean it yields a good return.
At yesterday's San Miguel Hong Kong annual general meeting, the company asked shareholders to submit questions to management. At least three shareholders asked the same question: When would the company again announce dividends?  The question immediately won a round of applause from the nearly 100 shareholders present.
To that, chairman Ramon Ang replied: 'We pay dividends from profits and we'll continue to review our financial standing.'
But one thing the company would keep up is to give eight cans of its beer plus a small box set of pastry to shareholders.
Given that the Philippine brewery's subsidiary paid only a total of  2 HK cents per share in the past five years, we reckon the giveaway is better than dividends for more than 5,000 shares.



Lai See