In the tug-of-war that has kept the iPhone out of China in the two years since it's been on the market, China Unicom is purportedly closest to reach a deal but still faces an attack from dominant carrier China Mobile.
Apple executives said this week they believe the iPhone remains in its infancy and went on to — somewhat uncharacteristically — reveal a series of strategic measures they may employ in the near term to help grow the handset's share of the booming smartphone market.
Photos and specifications for the iPhone have been posted on the website of wireless carrier China Unicom, a sign that Apple may finally be ready to enter the world's largest cell phone market.
Despite prior negotiations repeatedly breaking down, the world's largest mobile phone network operator says it's still negotiating with Apple to bring the iPhone to China.
Bolstering reports from last month, the chairman of China Unicom has confirmed negotiations with Apple to bring the iPhone 3G to China, but so far there's no indication that a deal is close to fruition.
Apple is just short of the top spot for US phone sales in stores. Also, China Unicom may be close to a long-awaited deal for the iPhone in its country, the Boston area is slated for another Apple store, and iFixit has broken with tradition to tear down an Amazon Kindle 2.
Apple and China Mobile remain deadlocked in their negotiations to bring the iPhone to China, according to a new report that places the App Store at the center of the latest conflict.
A single listing on the Apple's career pages suggests the company has pledged itself to releasing the iPhone in China, one of its most elusive markets.
China Mobile is eventually expected to offer the iPhone to mainland China but has requested that Apple deliver a model with Wi-Fi and 3G technology disabled, according to the South China Morning Post.
After meeting with top Apple brass at an event, RBC Capital Markets' Mike Abramsky claims that the electronics maker may shake up its existing business model for the iPhone and should easily pass its sales target for 2008, especially once 3G devices become available.
Websites suggest Apple will introduce its iTunes Store to Russia. However, China Mobile is dampening hopes in its own country that isn't discussing the iPhone. Also, reports have Apple stores coming to New Orleans in the US and Bristol in England, while Apple has issued a fix for the iTunes .
Contrary to earlier reports, Apple and China Mobile have not yet entered into negotiations to bring the iPhone to the world's largest mobile network, suggesting such talks are only likely closer to the release of a 3G version of the touchscreen handset later this year.
Nearly half of the 800,000 to 1 million iPhones that are believed to have been unlocked for distribution and use outside Apple's sanctioned networks may be in China, according to a new report.
In a pair of interviews following his Macworld keynote address on Tuesday, Apple chief executive spoke of his firm's two-year initiative to develop the world's thinnest notebook and also weighed in on the iPhone in China, Amazon's Kindle and Google's Android mobile platform.
China Mobile will not carry Apple's iPhone after the two companies failed to reach a deal to bring the device to the populous Asian country.
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Katie Marsal
Sam Oliver
Zach Spear
Slash Lane
AppleInsider Staff
