Tim Cook spotted at China Mobile's headquarters
Apple's acting CEO Tim Cook was spotted at the headquarters of China Mobile today, lending credence to recent rumors that Apple is in talks to bring the iPhone to the carrier. China Mobile is the largest mobile phone operator in the world, with over 600 million subscribers, so bringing the iPhone to the carrier is seen as an important step for Apple's growth in the Asian market.
As noted by MICGadget, a reporter from First Financial Daily was sitting in the the lobby of China Mobile earlier today when she spotted Tim Cook flanked by seven to eight people. She quickly snapped the picture you see here. From her blog:
This morning, around 10, Apple COO Tim Cook is spotted in the lobby of China Mobile's HQ, accompanied by 7-8 people. Probably Cook is talking with executives from China Mobile to discuss bilateral cooperation for the iPhone. Both China and America flags are seen in the lobby, and Cook seems to be happy.
A month ago we told you about rumors that Apple and China Mobile had reached a consensus on a 4G iPhone that would support China Mobile's TD-LTE 4G technology. At the time, sources said that negotiations weren't complete. Given that Tim Cook was spotted in China Mobile's headquarters today, it seems apparent that, at the very least, negotiations are ongoing, if not almost wrapped up in time for the next iPhone launch this fall.
