Apple’s iPhone could be released in China as early as May 17 by mobile operator China Unicom.
Negotiations between Apple and China’s largest operator, China Mobile, broke down recently over the operator’s insistence on co-managing the iPhone App Store. Despite commanding only 130m subscribers compared to state-sponsored China Mobile’s 415m, China Unicom may provide a more appealing partner for Apple because it uses the same 3G standard as Apple’s US operator AT&T. JP Morgan analysts say the large number of iPhone knock-offs available in China and the brand’s low presence in the country will make it difficult to generate significant earnings from the iPhone’s launch.
StrategyEye's related categories: Mobile Operators, Mobile Phones & PDAs
StrategyEye's related companies: China Mobile, China Unicom, Apple, Inc.
