China Mobile, Apple talking
June 28th 2008
Reuters reports that China Mobile, the largest carrier in the world's largest mobile market, and Apple are in talks to bring the iPhone to the Middle Kingdom.
"Apple is no longer insisting on a revenue-sharing policy, so the biggest hurdle for China Mobile to bring in the iPhone has been cleared, but there are practical issues still to be resolved," said China Mobile spokeswoman Rainie Lei.
Talks to bring the iPhone to China are now focusing on practical issues China Mobile said on Friday.
No timetable, expected or hoped for, has been announced or intimated for the arrival of the iPhone in China.
Changing strategy
With the original iPhone, Apple took a percentage of monthly subscriber revenues from mobile operators. The tradeoff being that users could buy the handset at full price, unlock it and use it as they saw fit, with neither Apple nor its partners taking an out-of-pocket hit when that happened.
Now, Apple has reduced the end-user price to $199 (8GB model) on the back on mobile operator subsidies.
Editor's note: It's worth mentioning that 3G isn't yet available in China in a meaningful way. That said, it's an open question as to whether Apple will ship an EDGE-only version or the upcoming 3G iPhone, which is EDGE compatible...
What's your take?
via TUAW
