China Mobile

Apple shares fall 4 percent amid heavy trading and post-Jobs era concerns

Ed Sutherland ∙ December 7, 2012

Questions about Apple's future lead to heavy trading in the technology giant Wednesday afternoon, prompting a 4.2 percent drop to $551.50 per share and an almost 22 percent decline since it's all-time high of $705 in September. More than 17 million shares were traded during midday action on Wall Street. Among questions facing investors: can Apple management perform without Steve Jobs, can the company produce another hit product, and can the iPad maker fend off Android...

China Mobile president says iPhone deal is still in the works

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

The iPhone 5 is slated to land in China on December 14. China Unicom and China Telecom have already started taking pre-orders, but unfortunately, China Mobile — the largest carrier in the world — will once again be sitting on the sidelines.

The two companies are still discussing a deal though. China Mobile president Yue Li confirmed yesterday that the carrier has been in talks with Apple for the past three years to bring the popular iPhone handset to its 700 million subscribers...

iPhone 5 and Wi-Fi iPad mini, iPad 4 are headed for China in December

Ed Sutherland ∙ November 30, 2012

It's official: the iPad mini, iPad 4 and iPhone 5 are set to land on China's store shelves in December. The company announced today the 7.9-inch iPad mini and 9.7-inch iPad 4 with Retina display will arrive Friday, December 7, while the iPhone 5 drops a bit later - December 14. Only Wi-Fi iPad models are being released now as the cellular option has just cleared China regulatory hoops.

As of the Friday announcement, new iPads are available in 42 countries. The iPhone 5, which had some earlier supply glitches, has now rolled out in 47 countries...

Android grabs 90 percent of China’s smartphone market

Ed Sutherland ∙ November 16, 2012

The world is full of ironies. The latest comes from China, whose government frequently blocks most of Google's properties. Yet, inside the country, more than 90 percent of smartphones run Android. Not laughing is Apple, with just a single-digit share of this enormous market. Specifically, Android's share hit 90.1 percent mark in Q3 2012.

At the same time, iOS recorded just a 4.2 share, new research finds. Seemingly at the heart of problem for Apple: price. While the average price of an Android-powered handset is $179, the iPhone carries a $726 average price tag. The iPhone 5 can't hit Chinese shelves too soon...

Analyst: sales of iPads and iPhones to skyrocket over the next six months

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated April 10, 2018

It appears Apple's marquee products - the iPhone 5 and iPad mini - are just hitting their stride. After initial questions over suppliers and build quality prompted sputtering sales, demand for the two devices is expected to skyrocket over the next two quarters. After talking with Apple suppliers, Morgan Stanley analyst Katy Huberty told investors Thursday that she believes the Cupertino, California company will beat Wall Street expectations, fueled by lower-priced parts, the growth of China and the addition of upcoming Apple Stores in Brazil, a first for the country...

Analyst predicts Apple moving from tech titan to dinosaur within a year

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated June 13, 2016

Psst. I've got a tip for ya: Apple's going down. Yep, the iPhone maker is set to become a tech dinosaur about a year from now, according to one analyst. I'd blame the whole thing on Hurricane Sandy, but the analyst opinion was released last week, just after Apple announced lower-than-expected profit margins. "Apple's time to turn from tech titan into a dinosaur will come, but we still think that we are at least a year away", Berenberg Bank analyst Adnaan Ahmad recently told investors, according to Daring Fireball and cited by Fortune...

China approves WCDMA and CDMA iPhone 5

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated April 10, 2018

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...

Report: the iPhone 5 may be headed to China Mobile

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated February 8, 2016

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.

China Mobile employees say iPhone 5 launch not likely

Cody Lee ∙ September 10, 2012

For years, Apple has been rumored to be working on an iPhone partnership deal with China Mobile. The carrier is the largest in both China, and the world, with more than 660 million subscribers.

China Mobile's network is already overflowing with unlocked iPhone users, but technology has been standing in the way of an official offering. And it doesn't look like that's going to change this year...

New report reiterates why Apple needs China Mobile deal

Cody Lee ∙ July 9, 2012

A new report is out this morning regarding the current state of the smartphone market in mainland China. With three providers on the world's 20 largest carriers list, and more than a billion cell phone users, the country is quickly become a battleground for smartphone-makers.

The new data comes from Needham & Company's Charlie Wolf. The analyst issued his quarterly report on the smartphone industry today, and it contains both good news and bad news for Apple's handset business...

Analyst: the next iPhone will be a true world phone

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 21, 2012

Latest checks from Apple's suppliers in Taiwan indicate that the next iPhone is in fact launching in October, as previously rumored, full twelve months following release of the iPhone 4S last October.

In a landmark deal with the China's and world's biggest carrier, the handset will support China Mobile's proprietary TD-SCDMA 3G network, making it a true world phone...

China Mobile in negotiations with Apple for iPhone partnership

Cody Lee ∙ May 16, 2012

To say that China is an important territory for Apple and its smartphone is an understatement. The country is home to more than a billion cell phone users, and the market is currently dominated by Android and other platforms.

That's because the iPhone has only been available in mainland China for a few months now, and the handset has yet to land on its largest carrier: China Mobile. But according to Reuters, that may not be the case for long...