China Mobile iPhone pre-orders are in the millions, Tim Cook calls deal 'a beginning'

It sure took quite a while for Apple and state-owned carrier China Mobile to finalize their deal, but it could end up being well worth Cupertino's time. According to The Wall Street Journal, the partnership extends beyond the carrier offering iDevices in the country and "entail[s] broad cooperation" between the two companies. As you'd expect, lips from both camps are tightly sealed, but Tim Cook says he's "incredibly optimistic" about the outcome. Whether the two are working on any big promotional or retail opportunities in an effort to catch up to Android in China remains to be seen. For now, we'll keep our eyes peeled in case new info surfaces when China Mobile starts shipping out iPhones (millions of them, apparently) on Friday.