The iPhone 5 has overcome its last significant regulatory hurdle for approval in China. Two models of the new iPhone received approval from the China Compulsory Certificate (or 3C), allowing China Unicom and China Telecom to sell the Apple smartphone by the end of 2012, CNET reports...
Outside of North America, China may be Apple's largest market. Although the iPhone 5 is set to be introduced by China Unicom and China Telecom during the first three months that the new smartphone is available, the biggest audience is still China Mobile's 700 million subscribers.
Now Apple watchers believe new technology quietly added to the iPhone 5 could improve the chances the iconic handset could soon be sold by the world's largest mobile carrier.
According to The Wall Street Journal, TD-SCDMA is supported in a Qualcomm chip found in the iPhone 5 when the phone was torn down by the folks at iFixit. The transmission technology is China Mobile's version of 3G and a clue that Apple wants the carrier as its third partner in the Asian giant. It's intriguing then that Apple doesn't mention TD-SCDMA in its technical specifications of the iPhone 5.
Since previous reports seemingly nailed the next-gen iPhone event date, it's safe to assume the predicted launch date is also accurate. Apple's next smartphone is expected to go on sale in the US on September 21st. When the handset will launch elsewhere, however, is still unknown.
Last year, the iPhone 4S launched Stateside in October, but it didn't hit some major markets like China until a good three months later. But according to a new report, that won't be the case this year. Industry insiders say that China Unicom will have the handset by December...
China's second-largest telco, China Unicom, could abandon iPhone subsidy once its contract bundles expire in September, an Asian trade publication wrote on Friday, citing industry sources. The anti-subsidy sentiment is nothing new, but apparently China Mobile is unable to justify billions in prepayments to Apple and high investments in infrastructure in order to cope with fast-growing traffic because sales of contract iPhones reportedly have not met its internal expectations...
It looks like folks who were worried about Apple's progress in China can rest easy. Thanks to "better than expected results," China Unicom is in talks with Apple to extend its current 3 year partnership.
The Chinese telco is the tenth largest carrier in the world, and was Apple's first iPhone partner in mainland China back in 2009. And it appears that the relationship has been equally good for both parties...
The iPhone 4S is popular everywhere it is sold, and China is certainly no different. While previously only available to buy from China Unicom, China Telecom is now also offering Apple's latest smartphone for sale.
Available through any one of the 2,850 China Telecom stores across the country or via Apple's online store, the iPhone 4S is proving hugely popular amongst punters, just as it has elsewhere.
The release has been so popular, breaking China Unicom's 18-month stranglehold on iPhone availability in China, that China Telecom has announced that it received over 200,000 pre-orders for the device. This almost two months after the device was made available through China Unicom. Demand, it seems, has not slowed.
Now there's a shock...
Last night, it was announced that the iPhone 4S will be available on China's third-largest carrier, China Telecom, on March 9th. Apple has been aggressively attacking China and has been reaping off its benefits. To benefit iPhone sales even more, Apple is continuing to pursue adding more carriers to support the iPhone in China.
Reuters reports China's largest carrier, China Mobile, has been "aggressively negotiating" a deal with Apple, but some technical hurdles are holding back a launch for now...
Earlier this month, Apple released its popular iPhone 4S handset to long lines in mainland China. But launch day didn't last very long, as riots broke out in front of multiple Apple Stores around Beijing, forcing them to close.
Scalpers were believed to be a major factor in the riots — they buy iPhones and other gadgets and sell them for a profit on the grey market. But it looks like Apple has found a way to keep them from causing any more problems...
While some of us have had the iPhone 4S for nearly three months, folks in China are just now seeing the handset in the flesh. And if you thought the hype for Apple's new smartphone was starting to die out, you're very much mistaken.
Several news outlets are reporting today on the massive lines that have formed outside of Apple Stores in both Beijing and Shanghai, China, for the iPhone 4S launch. Apple's latest handset is expected to go on sale in less than one hour.
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Apple's latest smartphone, the iPhone 4S, is arguably the year's hottest handset. Not only did the company sell 4 million units during the device's opening weekend, but the smartphone is still flying off of retailer's shelves a month later.
The handset is so popular, in fact, that carriers are having trouble keeping up with consumer demand — Apple can't make them quick enough. And the phone hasn't even found its way into mainland China yet, but it's getting closer...
An article on 9to5Mac this morning reports that China Unicom is dropping the 16/32GB iPhone 4 in preparation for the 8GB iPhone 4, prior to offering the iPhone 4S to its customers.
State-owned China Unicom, the world’s third-largest carrier and Apple’s sole iPhone partner in the country, has dropped both the 16GB and 32GB iPhone 4 model and will be introducing the 8GB iPhone 4 later this month. The move comes in anticipation of the iPhone 4S launch on the China Unicom network, due by the year’s end. iPhone 4S is currently pending regulatory approval in the country. The move would indicate that China Unicom will focus on the new iPhone 4S and carry the 8GB iPhone 4 as an inexpensive entry-level handset.
China is a huge market for Apple and there is no doubt this deal will increase the company's bottomline. China Unicom is the country's number 2 carrier. China Mobile, the country's leader, has yet to reach an agreement with Apple.