John C Abell
Business

Is the (non-bootleg) IPhone Finally Coming to China?

There are plenty of iPhones in China but so far Apple isn’t making a red cent in the largest single cellphone market in the world. After a year of on-again, off-again discussions with China Mobile, that may be about to change: talks are now are in their final stages, AFP reports, citing official state media. […]

China_iphone
There are plenty of iPhones in China but so far Apple isn't making a red cent in the largest single cellphone market in the world.

After a year of on-again, off-again discussions with China Mobile, that may be about to change: talks are now are in their final stages, AFP reports, citing official state media.

The two companies are likely to conclude the talks soon, the 21 Century Business Herald reported, citing unnamed sources.

A
spokesman with China Mobile declined to comment on the report, while officials with Apple were not immediately available for comment.

For the record, China Mobile is playing it cool. CEO Wang Jianzhou acknowledged the talks but gave reporters at an appearance in Bankgkok no indication of progress, according to Reuters.

"Both (Apple Chief Executive) Mr Steve Jobs and myself hope the Apple iPhone can enter China as soon as possible. We are discussing this issue, but we haven't got an agreement."

It isn't clear what has stymied an agreement in the nearly year-long discussions, or what might be changing now. But the stakes are high: China Mobile boasts 400 million subscribers -- far exceeding the population of the United States.

And there is no question about the iPhone's popularity in China; as wired.com reported last November:

In one Chinese netizen's words: "It's like the whole country has gone iPhone, all my friends have become iPhoners."

Photo courtesy of theiPhoneblog

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