Verizon's Chief Executive said Apple's interest in his carrier's forthcoming long-term evolution 4G network helped to forge a deal to sell the iPad. Also, a new report claims Apple has entered into some type of agreement with China Mobile, the largest wireless carrier in the world.
Apple is attempting to block scalpers by instituting new restrictions preventing walk-in sales of the iPhone at Apple Stores in China. Customers must first reserve an iPhone on Apple's website before visiting an Apple Retail Store to complete the purchase.
China's third-largest wireless operator may be in talks with Apple to offer a CDMA-version of the iPhone on its 3G network, according to an overseas report.
Fearing growing competition from its smaller rivals, iPhone holdout China Mobile is reaching out to Apple this month in hopes that the mobile device maker will concede to building support for Beijing's proprietary 3G standard into its next-generation handset.
(Mobile World Congress) Apple is not officially present at this week's Mobile World Conference in Barcelona, Spain, yet carriers are talking about the iPhone and rivals are introducing what they hope to pitch as "iPhone killers."
While initial iPhone sales have not had a blockbuster start in China, Apple executives said this week they don't mind — for them, it's all about building the Apple brand for the long haul.
Apple is set to launch the iPhone in South Korea this month after earning approval from the nation's telecommunications director Wednesday; and talks with carrier China Mobile remain ongoing.
China Unicom announced Tuesday that its brand new 3G network had already signed up more than a million subscribers, but only 5,000 iPhone customers since the device launched last week.
Hundreds of people showed up for the iPhone launch party in Beijing last week, but the handset failed to sell out in many Chinese stores.
The iPhone saw its formal debut in China Friday on carrier China Unicom, with the Wi-Fi-less hardware sold via 2,000 stores at a starting price of 4,999 yuan, or $730.
When O2's exclusive contract for the iPhone expires this year, Orange will also offer the handset in the U.K.; and China Unicom will offer Apple's iPhone for $732.50 on October 1.
Apple's iPhone and iPods use so much NAND flash memory that there is a worldwide dearth of memory chips; and negotiations with China Mobile for the iPhone are ongoing.
As Apple's iPhone prepares for its debut in China later this year, competing handset maker Research in Motion is also pushing for its BlackBerry line to expand to 3G in the nation of over one billion.
When Apple's iPhone enters the Chinese cell phone market later this year in a non-exclusive deal with China Unicom, it could only be the beginning, as the handset maker reportedly already has its sights set on another carrier.
On the heels of last week's announcement that Apple's iPhone would become available in China late this year, the company has confirmed its agreement with China Unicom is not exclusive to the carrier.
Dell unveiled Monday a prototype of its upcoming cell phone in China, as both it and Apple hope to launch competing smartphones in the nation very soon.
Reports of regulatory approval of a new model of the iPhone in China seem to confirm that Apple's hardware will appear on the China Unicom network, and also suggest that a new model was created for the country of over 1 billion.
A Shanghai newspaper reports Apple has reached a three year exclusive agreement with China Unicom to market the iPhone, though company officials say a deal is not yet official.
Apple may have finally cleared a hurdle in bringing the iPhone to China as it has reportedly applied for a Network Access License in the Asian country, putting a release just a few months away — albeit without Wi-Fi.
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Slash Lane
Josh Ong
Katie Marsal
Sam Oliver
Neil Hughes
Prince McLean
