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FCC denies China Mobile's bid to provide services in the US
FCC Chairman Ajit Pai signaled that he wanted to reject China Mobile's application to become a telecom provider in the US, and the agency has just acted on that promise. The Commission has unanimously denied China Mobile's eight year old bid over national security concerns. Officials said the carrier didn't show that its application was in the "public interest," and that the Chinese government's control of the company raised "substantial and serious" law enforcement and security risks that couldn't be mitigated.
FCC chairman wants to keep China Mobile out of the US
The US government appears ready to continue its push to keep Chinese telecommunications companies from operating within the country. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) chairman Ajit Pai announced today that he will oppose China Mobile's attempt at becoming a telecom provider in the US. The agency will officially vote on the company's application next month, but the chairman's public statement strongly suggests the bid will be denied.
America’s cash-free future is just around the corner
Shake Shack's next burger joint at Astor Place in NYC doesn't want your money -- at least not the physical variety. In an effort to reduce the "friction time" between paying for your meal and eating it, the company plans to replace human cashiers for automated kiosks which won't accept actual bills and coins, only cards. This move is part of a global trend away from cash-based economies and towards Star Wars-style credits. But could such a monetary revolution actually benefit all Americans? Don't bet on it.
HTC's beefier M9 for China leaks with sharper screen and fingerprint reader
Rumor of a beefier HTC One M9 variant -- aka "M9+" -- had been floating around for some time, but we've remained skeptical until we came across the latest batch of leaks. Better yet, some of these are backed up by an official (poorly made but actually legit) Beijing launch invitation sent out earlier today; see for yourself after the break. What we're seeing is that the Duo Camera feature on the M8 is here to stay, and there's also the previously rumored front-side fingerprint reader which, sadly, reminds us of the home buttons on earlier Samsung devices.
Chinese pre-orders of iPhone 6 handsets: Two million in six hours
After having to wait for the iPhone 6 launch due to a regulatory kerfuffle, Chinese citizens are apparently hyper-excited about the launch of the new handsets, pre-ordering over two million in just six hours. What's funny about this is that the phones weren't even supposed to be available for pre-order until Friday, October 10, with initial retail sales coming a week later on October 17. All three of the major Chinese cellular carriers -- China Unicom, China Mobile, and China Telecom -- began taking orders today, piling up most of the pre-orders for the 64GB iPhone 6 and 6 Plus models. The price tag for those devices in China is around US$1,000. Apple had previously released a press statement about iPhone 6 availability on Tuesday, September 30, with CEO Tim Cook stating that "We are thrilled to bring iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus to our customers in China on all three carriers at launch. With support for TD-LTE and FDD-LTE, iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus customers will have access to high-speed mobile networks from China Mobile, China Telecom, and China Unicom for an incredible experience." The launch numbers for the iPhone 6 handsets have been very impressive, so the company's upcoming earnings call on October 20 should be full of good news for investors.
China is the global leader in Internet of Things thanks to government support
China accounts for more than a quarter of global machine-to-machine (M2M) connections, according to a report by the GSMA association of mobile operators. With more than 50 million connections, the country's at the head of the pack when it comes to Internet of Things adoption. China's lead is thanks to strong government support - the country plans to invest more than $600 billion in IoT through the year 2020. The fact that China's top mobile operators are cooperating with the government to deploy M2M solutions across several fields doesn't hurt, either.
Tim Cook: iPhone launch on China Mobile resulted in 'best week for activations we've ever had in China.'
The New York Times about a week ago published an article portraying the recent launch of the iPhone on China Mobile as something of a disappointment. What made the Times article so utterly bizarre is that it wholly ignored encouraging facts and instead based its premise on the observation that the customer turnout at a lone Apple store in China was "muted." While we'll have to wait a full quarter to see just how well the iPhone does on the world's largest carrier, Tim Cook and Apple CFO Peter Oppenheimer divulged some information during Monday's earnings conference call suggesting that the iPhone on China Mobile is actually doing quite well. When asked about demand trends for the iPhone on China Mobile, Cook answered: I would add, as a further update, we've been selling with China Mobile now for about a week, and last week was the best week for activations we've ever had in China. So it's been an incredible start, and at this moment, we're just selling in 16 cities with China Mobile, and as Peter alluded to, this number is projected to be over 300 cities by the end of this year. And so we've got quite the ramp in front of us, and we're incredibly excited. With more than 760 million subscribers, it's hard to see Apple's recent deal with China Mobile as anything but a tremendous opportunity. Not only does the deal grow Apple's potential subscriber pool by a significant factor, but also China Mobile's extensive distribution network of more than 3,000 outlets will make the iPhone available in a number of previously unsupported areas.
Apple rolls out iOS 7.0.5 to iPhone 5s and 5c in China, promises network fixes
Apple's usually pretty quick when it comes to fixing issues with its software, and today is no exception. The iPhone maker has begun delivering iOS 7.0.5 to 5s and 5c models that are available in China, an update that is expected to solve "network provisioning" for some affected handsets there. This comes shortly after Apple finally announced a deal to bring the iPhone to China Mobile, which put an end to a long, long period of negotiations and landed its shiny new devices on the carrier. As such, and even though the changelog doesn't single the network out, iOS 7.0.5 would appear to be tailored for China Mobile subscribers who recently bought an iPhone. Either way, for those of you outside of China, no need to be hunting for this particular version -- it's only for those who actually need it.
New York Times downplays iPhone launch on China Mobile less than 12 hours after device goes on sale
Without even waiting long enough to let Tim Cook's signature dry, the New York Times this past Friday was quick to publish an article detailing the hurdles that remain for Apple in China while painting a gloomy picture for Apple's future prospects in the country. The Times report drew specific attention to the "muted" lines that accompanied the long-awaited release of the iPhone on China Mobile. Apple is counting on a long-awaited agreement with China Mobile, the world's largest cellular operator, to reverse its fortunes in China. But the initial reception was muted on Friday, when customers were finally able to buy iPhones from China Mobile. Instead of the round-the-block lines that have greeted Apple product introductions in China and other countries in the past, only about a dozen customers showed up to buy iPhones at the opening of a store in Beijing – despite the presence of a special guest, the Apple chief executive, Timothy D. Cook. The report also added that iPhone market share in the country has fallen into the single digits in recent time. So is there cause for concern? Has this China Mobile experiment been all for naught? Can we just call it a night and call the iPhone on China Mobile a bust? Not even close. The New York Times has perfected the art of publishing slanted Apple stories to the point where they've lost their ability to provide proper context to their reporting. This typically results in misleading headlines and articles that, unfortunately, often amount to a collection of half-truths. First off, let's tackle Apple's single-digit market share. Blindly focusing on this metric doesn't really paint a full or accurate picture. After all, if iPhone sales doubled while Samsung smartphone sales tripled, Apple's market share would go down even though they'd be doing quite well. Second, Apple's share of the smartphone market has risen rather steadily in recent months. Counterpoint Research last month reported that Apple's share of the smartphone market in China more than doubled from 6 percent to 12 percent in October on account of a strong iPhone 5s/5c launch. Of course, Canalys research reported last month that Apple's share of the smartphone market was at 6 percent. The takeaway? You guessed it -- many of these market share reports are complete baloney. What we should focus on is that Cook said this past week that iPhone sales in China last quarter set a brand-new record. What we should also focus on is that China Mobile processed 1.2 million iPhone pre-orders. The Times article, in this regard, quotes a research analyst who said that "online registrations" may only result in actual sales in "about a third of the cases." All the more reason to wait a bit, relax and see how sales actually pan out. Nonetheless, the Times was all too quick to predict trouble ahead on account of "muted" lines. To this end, Philip Elmer-DeWitt of Fortune provides some much-needed context regarding the China Mobile launch. It's happening not at a handful of Apple Stores, but at 3,000 China Mobile outlets. To prevent launch-day chaos, reservations were required; as of Monday, the carrier had received 1.2 million and new ones were coming in at the rate of 60,000 a day. This is not the first appearance of the iPhone 5s and 5c in China. China Telecom and China Unicom have been selling them since September. An estimated 45 million China Mobile customers already own iPhones, purchased elsewhere and running at a snail's pace on China Mobile's old 2G network. With more than 760 million subscribers (one-tenth of the world's population), extrapolating preliminary iPhone sales data from the lines around one store when there are 3,000 outlets is a bit elementary at best, and purposefully misleading at worst. Indeed, Cook himself explained that the China Mobile deal is so promising precisely because it extends the iPhone's reach into areas that were previously devoid of any Apple presence. In short, do we know how the iPhone will sell on China Mobile? No. In fact, it's so early in the game that it boggles my mind that a publication as reputable as the Times would laser focus in on a small line at one store, leave out important details, and ultimately deduce that Apple faces hurdles ahead. That's not to say that it's clear sailing ahead for Apple, but painting a pessimistic outlook without providing important contextual details is sloppy journalism.
iPhone goes on sale on China Mobile, and more news for January 17
Today is the day many market watchers have been yearning for: The iPhone has gone on sale on China Mobile, the world's largest mobile phone carrier. Tim Cook was on hand with China Mobile's Chairman Xi Guohua at the company's flagship store in Beijing for the launch and handed out several iPhones to the first buyers. During the event, many asked Cook about future Apple plans, including about the rumored 6-inch iPhone and iPhones with flexible displays. Cook replied: "We never talk about future things. We have great things we are working on, but we want to keep them secret. That way you will be so much happier when you see it." In other news this morning: The district court judge in the Apple e-book trial filed an opinion and order explaining her reasoning for denying Apple's request to have the external antitrust compliance monitor removed. The judge said the primary reason were because "many of the arguments which Apple once made (and is no longer pursuing) have been waived or are moot." Many owners of Early 2011 MacBook Pro models with discrete AMD GPUs are seeing system crashes and hardware failures. The thread on Apple support forums detailing the issue has more than 2,348 replies. AppleInsider spotlighted the problem and reached out to Apple for comment, which has not responded. Apple has seeded a new beta of OS X 10.9.2. The new beta adds the ability to block people on iMessage and FaceTime -- just like you can in iOS 7. An new Android app called doubleTwist AirPlay Recorder allows people to record songs directly from iTunes Radio. Once the app is installed on an Android phone, users select it as an AirPlay device in iTunes on their desktop, and the app then captures iTunes Radio songs which are being streamed over the local WiFi network. Starbucks has updated its iOS app with "additional performance enhancements and safeguards." The update comes days after the Starbucks app was busted for saving user's information in plain text. [Image credit: @eyoonCNBC]
Daily Update for January 15, 2014
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get some the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the player at the top of the page. The Daily Update has been moved to a new podcast host in the past few days. Current listeners should delete the old podcast subscription and subscribe to the new feed in the iTunes Store here.
Tim Cook: China Mobile deal a 'watershed,' and more news for January 15, 2014
This Friday, the iPhone goes on sale at China Mobile -- the largest mobile carrier in the world. And it seems everyone is very, very happy about that. Speaking to CNBC in Beijing where Tim Cook is for the launch, he said this Friday's launch "is a watershed day ... It's a huge announcement ... we're incredibly impressed with them; we have deep respect for them. We see this as bringing the world's best smartphone to the very largest and now the fastest network in China." Since China Mobile preorders began in December, the mobile carrier is selling a whopping 60,000 units a day, which equals more than 1.3 million iPhones sold between December 25 and January 13. With the China Mobile deal, Apple will be able to sell iPhones in more than 3,000 new locations in China, including many new cities where the iPhone just isn't available now. Going on further press rounds about the China Mobile launch, Cook told The Wall Street Journal that he is "incredibly optimistic" about the launch and said of the carrier: "We've gotten to know each other ... today is a beginning, and I think there are lots more things our companies can do together in the future." In other news: Black Sabbath's 1970's albums are now available on iTunes. Warner Brothers has brought eight of the band's albums from the 1970s exclusively to iTunes this week. Previously only the bands later albums were available. You can view the albums here. An anti-poaching class-action lawsuit against Apple, Google and others will proceed. The Ninth US Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that more than 64,000 workers will be able to sue Apple, Google, Adobe, Intel and other tech companies for allegedly conspiring to keep pay down so workers wouldn't jump ship from one company to the next. A hacker group called The 1775 Sec has said they've breached an Apple database and posted user's personal information to the web. However, this is the same group that claimed responsibility for Dropbox's downtime earlier this month -- something which was found to be untrue. Finally, is it a Mac Pro or is it a trash can? Whatever it is, it's got amazing reviews.
Contextualizing Apple's iPhone deal with China Mobile
After years of speculation, Apple this weekend announced that the iPhone will finally be landing on China Mobile beginning on January 17. With more than 760 million subscribers, China Mobile is, by a wide margin, the largest carrier on the planet. Consequently, the deal presents a tremendous opportunity for Apple to increase its annual tally of iPhone sales. In the wake of Apple and China Mobile's agreement, analyst expectations as to how the deal will affect Apple's bottom line have been all over the map. For instance, the most bullish of Apple analysts anticipate that Apple's newly inked deal may help increase annual iPhone sales by upwards of 30 million-plus units. Still, other analysts feel that any uptick in iPhone sales on China Mobile may be offset by a decrease in iPhone sales worldwide. While we'll have to take a wait-and-see approach to see how the China Mobile deal ultimately impacts Apple's iPhone business, there are a number of statistics worth considering to help contextualize the deal. First off, the sheer size of China Mobile's subscriber base is absolutely massive, so much so that it's tough to fully appreciate just how large it truly is. As it stands today, China Mobile sports 763 million subscribers. To put this figure into context, consider this: The world's population, as of July 2013, is estimated to be 7.13 billion individuals. Translation? One out of every 10 people in the entire world is a China Mobile subscriber. Even more jarring, China Mobile has more subscribers than the United States has people. How crazy is that? To further conceptualize China Mobile's subscriber base, let's turn to Verizon, the largest carrier in the US. As of Verizon's most recent quarter, the company boasts about 119.5 million subscribers, meaning that China Mobile is more than six times larger. In short, we know that China Mobile has an ungodly number of subscribers and, at first glance, it stands to reason that it's only a matter of time before Apple is selling iPhones to tens of millions of new users. The reality, as it often tends to be, is much more nuanced. For one, though China Mobile has hundreds of millions of subscribers, there is a huge income disparity between the wealthy and the poor. On average, the typical Chinese household brings home about US$12,000 a year. That said, the number of China Mobile subscribers who might actually want and be able to afford the iPhone is significantly lower than one might otherwise imagine. The New York Times writes: The cost-consciousness of Chinese consumers extends to their choice of mobile networks. Only 176 million China Mobile customers, less than a quarter of the total, subscribe to the company's high-speed wireless data service, using 3G technology. Apple and China Mobile announced their partnership a few days after China Mobile introduced an upgrade to a newer, faster system - 4G - for parts of its network. The existing 3G subscribers, not the overall customer base, will provide the main target audience for the new phones and services. A target pool of 176 million users is nothing to sneeze at, but certainly brings the 763 million-subscriber figure back down to earth a bit. On this point, it's worth taking a look at this simple and informative chart put together by Ben Thompson over at Stratechery. The takeaway is that if you're starting with a figure as big as 763 million users, even a small percentage yields a significant number of potential customers. So while the vast majority of China Mobile subscribers won't be carrying around iPhones anytime soon, the opportunity for Apple is still rather sizable. One final point worth mentioning is that the smartphone market in China is not as subsidy-friendly as it is in the US. As a result, some analysts have wondered how much this dynamic will adversely impact iPhone sales and temper analyst expectations. To this end, China Mobile is reportedly looking to increase the amount it spends on subsidies by 42 percent, from $4.4 billion spent in 2013 to $6.24 billion in 2014.
Afternoon news roundup for December 23, 2013
Good afternoon! Here's what's going on in the Apple world this afternoon. If you've missed our morning news roundup, you can check it out here. Apple has confirmed with AllThingsD that mapping company BroadMap and Evernote competitor Catch were acquired earlier this year. 9to5Mac originally reported the acquisitions, along with the fact that Apple has bought 15 companies this year but only 10 of those have been named. Apple's confirmation of the BroadMap and Catch purchases brings that number to 12. 9to5Mac goes into more depth about the ramifications of these purchases for Apple, and it's well worth the read. Apple has posted its iOS 7 Tech Talk videos, which were originally presented during its fall Tech Talk tour that wrapped up December 18. The videos cover a range of topics including the integration of various game and system technologies, user interface design and hidden development gems. Cultured Code has sold its 1 millionth copy of its flagship productivity software Things, and to celebrate, it worked up an innovative presentation that highlighted dozens of positive reviews left for Things on Twitter. In addition, Cultured Code is giving away a MacBook Pro, an iPad Air and an iPhone 5s, along with 50 copies each of the various flavors of Things. The blog post ends with the reveal that Cultured Code is working on Things 3. The China Mobile announcement is barely a day old, and analysts already are guessing at how many phones that China's largest carrier will sell once the iPhone makes its debut on January 17. CNN/Fortune gathered those guesses together, and they range from a mere 5 million units from Morgan Stanley's analysts to a very optimistic 39 million from ISI. Most analysts are guessing between the 17 million to 20 million range, which seems far more realistic. AOL has reversed course on its decision not to support iCloud email on its Alto service and apologized to users for any confusion. Those who use Alto and want to continue using iCloud will have no problems doing so. An Apple lawsuit has landed atop the list of the top 10 most ridiculous lawsuits of 2013, but it's not any of the Samsung-related ones, nor does it involve the Department of Justice. Instead, a man sued Apple claiming that he became addicted to pornography after accidentally visiting an adult website. He claimed Apple was at fault for not blocking the site. Square CEO and Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey has been elected to the Walt Disney Board of Directors. His tenure will begin in March.
The iPhone comes to China Mobile January 17
It's been a longstanding rumor, and today it's come true. Apple and China Mobile have announced the iPhone is coming to China's largest mobile network. The multi-year agreement calls for the iPhone 5s and 5c to be available from China Mobile retail sites, and in Chinese Apple retail stores on January 17. "Apple's iPhone is very much loved by millions of customers around the world. We know there are many China Mobile customers and potential new customers who are anxiously awaiting the incredible combination of iPhone on China Mobile's leading network. We are delighted that iPhone on China Mobile will support our 4G/TD-LTE and 3G/TD-SCDMA networks, providing customers with high-speed mobile service," said Xi Guohua, China Mobile's chairman. "China is an extremely important market for Apple and our partnership with China Mobile presents us the opportunity to bring iPhone to the customers of the world's largest network," Tim Cook, Apple's chief executive, said in a statement released late today. This pact means Apple is going to sell a lot of iPhones. China Mobile is the world's largest mobile services provider, with more than 760 million subscribers. Currently, Apple is number 5 in smartphone sales in China. Apple has wanted this deal for a long time, and China Mobile got interested after iPhone sales were going to other, smaller carriers in the country.
Apple officially inks iPhone deal with China Mobile (Updated)
Update: A Reuters report says the deal is not officially closed. China Mobile spokeswoman Rainie Le told Reuters that the carrier is "still negotiating with Apple" and confirmed there is "nothing new to announce." Apple also declined to comment. After years of speculation, rumors and not-so-secret meetings with China Mobile executives, Apple this week finally inked a deal to bring the iPhone to China Mobile. Word of the deal first emerged late on Wednesday evening courtesy of the Wall Street Journal. The deal provides Apple with a tremendous and arguably unprecedented opportunity for growth. With upwards of 740 million subscribers, China Mobile is by far the largest wireless carrier on the planet. By way of comparison, Verizon, the largest carrier in the US, boasts approximately 120 million subscribers. News of the China Mobile deal comes just one day after the Chinese government approved TD-LTE licenses for the country's three carriers and approximately three months since Apple received a regulatory license to carry the iPhone on China Mobile's proprietary network. Regarding a release date, the Journal reports that the iPhone will likely be available for sale by the end of this month and may be timed to correspond with a China Mobile conference set to take place in Guangzhou on December 18. At the Dec. 18 event, China Mobile plans to unveil a brand for its fourth-generation, or 4G, network. China Mobile executives have said they would only begin to sell the iPhone after introducing 4G services. China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology said Wednesday it gave licenses to China Mobile and its smaller rivals to operate the higher-speed mobile networks, clearing one of the last hurdles. Apple thus far has declined to comment on the report, but it stands to reason that we may very well see a press release announcing the deal sometime tomorrow.
iPhone 5s and 5c approved for China Mobile, the world's biggest carrier (updated)
Apple's mission to bring the iPhone to the world's largest mobile operator has apparently dragged on since 2007. Now, however, it finally looks as if Tim Cook's latest round of secret negotiations has paid off. TENAA, China's equivalent to the FCC, has released documents clearing a pair of iPhones packing GSM-enabled TD-LTE radios. Considering that China's other two carriers (Telecom and Unicom) use the more common CDMA2000 or WCDMA, this is a very hefty hint that the iPhone 5s and 5c will shortly be available to China Mobile's 740-million plus subscribers. Update: Looks like these variants were actually first made public on TENAA back in September, according to our friends over at The Next Web, but a tease can only last for so long. China will just have to hurry up with its official TD-LTE roll-out, which is rumored to take place later this year.
iPhone's piece of the Chinese smartphone pie expected to double in 2014
According to a new report from IDC, Apple's share of the Chinese smartphone market is expected to double in 2014. That Apple considers China an important part of its overall plan to significantly increase its revenue base is hardly a secret. With rumors that Apple may soon be finalizing an iPhone deal with China Mobile -- the world's largest carrier -- it makes sense that Apple could easily increase its market share in the country in a relatively short period of time. Of course, it's easy to increase market share when you're starting from the bottom and have nowhere to go but up. As it stands now, the iPhone isn't even one of the top five most popular smartphones in China. That list is spearheaded by Samsung, which has an 18.3 percent share of the smartphone market, followed by Lenovo which owns a 12.6 percent share of the market. "The sharp increase in shipments of low-end China Mobile smartphones has driven the growth of Lenovo and Coolpad. On a separate note, affected by the sluggish sales of iPhone 5, Apple's market share has declined dramatically, but its performance is expected to remarkably improve with the launch of the new iPhone," says James Yan, Senior Analyst for China Mobile Phone Market, IDC China. IDC notes that smartphone shipments in the country will hit 360 million units in 2013 and may soon rise to 450 million by 2014. With that rise in shipments, IDC anticipates that Apple's new iPhone models, coupled with a potential deal with China Mobile, will boost the iPhone's popularity. Thanks to its cooperation with China Mobile and the launch of low-cost iPhone, iOS will see a rapid growth in 2014, and IDC expects its market share to double that of 2013. So when might we see the iPhone land on China Mobile? Well, we reported not too long ago that Apple had received the requisite regulatory license to carry the iPhone on China Mobile's network. The rumor mill has been suggesting the iPhone will land on China Mobile sometime before the end of 2013, but as with any Apple-related rumor, nothing is ever a guarantee until an official announcement is made.
Signs point to Apple deal with China Mobile
After years of speculation and spyshots of Tim Cook in China, it appears that the stage is set for Apple to finally bring the iPhone to China Mobile. The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Apple recently received a regulatory license to run the iPhone on China Mobile's proprietary network standard. While the iPhone lands on new carriers all the time, China Mobile is the world's largest carrier with over 700 million subscribers and presents an incredible business and growth opportunity for Apple. According to the website of China's Telecom Equipment Certification Center Wednesday, Apple received what's called a "network access license" for a handset resembling the iPhone that runs on the mobile standards used by China Mobile for third- and fourth-generation cellular services. Other licenses were given to Apple for handsets running the technology used by both China Unicom and China Telecom Corp. While Apple and China Mobile haven't issued an official statement regarding a deal between the two companies, the Journal relays that Apple is poised to begin shipping the iPhone 5c to China Mobile. As with anything related to Apple however, nothing is 100 percent official until we get a clear-cut confirmation. That said, the evidence in this case is more substantive than it's ever been before.
China Mobile, iPhone deal hindered by commercial, technical issues
China Mobile is the world's largest mobile carrier, and for Apple, the company represents a way to revive slumping sales in its second largest market. While both companies would benefit from having the iPhone on China Mobile's network, a number of commercial and technical issues have made that impossible. However, those barriers may be coming down in the near future, paving the way for Apple's flagship smartphone to run on the China Mobile network. The main technical issue facing Apple is that existing iPhones cannot work on China Mobile's TD-SCDMA 3G networks, nor can they operate on the rather rare TD-LTE 4G networks that the carrier is planning to deploy. As for the commercial issue, it's simple -- China Mobile doesn't want to commit to the cost of marketing and subsidizing sales of the iPhone. Both issues may be resolved if Apple introduces a new, lower-cost iPhone for emerging markets on September 10. The company is expected to be using new Qualcomm chips in the next-generation iPhones that can operate on just about any network, keeping Apple from having to create a special line of iPhones just for China Mobile. In addition, a lower-cost iPhone would make subsidies much more palatable to China Mobile, a company that desperately needs data-hungry smartphone users to pump up its revenues. Net profit for China Mobile has only risen 15 percent since 2008, and a flood of iPhone users could bolster the company's fortunes, much as it has for US carriers. Anand Ramachandran, an analyst with Barclays in Singapore, was quoted by Reuters as saying, "The circumstances and the issues that were a hindrance in the past seem to be getting resolved. So I think there's a higher probability that potentially there's something in the works." The announcements on September 10 could foretell an auspicious future for Apple and China Mobile.
