Apple iPhone Deal With China Unicom Imminent?
First Shanghai Security News reported that Apple (AAPL) had reached a three-year deal with China Unicom to market the iPhone in the world's largest cellphone market (600 million-plus subscribers).
Then AFP and Reuters reported what China Unicom's spokesperson told them: that the two companies were still in negotiations and no agreement had been reached (something, by the way, any company dealing with Apple will say before Cupertino has had a chance to break the news itself).
- The Apple and China Unicom deal will be a 3-year exclusive.*
- The iPhone will be customized for the China market (e.g. Chinese language and preloaded with "for China" apps).
- China Unicom will pay Apple 3,000 CNY ($439 USD) per unit.
- China Unicom will subsidize iPhone by pricing the iPhone below the 3,000 CNY paid to Apple. This would take the official iPhone price below the grey-market price for smuggled iPhones.
- China Unicom has promised to sell a minimum 1 million units per year with significantly higher sales targets.
- The iPhone for China will make use of Apples China App Store.
*There is no mention of the terms of exclusivity, such as whether this will be for all iPhones or 3G models only? (leaving the door open for an unlocked 2G model in 2010/11 for all carriers).
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Chinese app store! :rolleyes: Hopefully the concessions Apple made to the Chinese government will be worth it. Time will tell.
and i am guessing U.S. based app developers wont be able to have their apps sold in China?
And all data is routed through the cell carriers, which are really just subsidiaries of the Chinese government so your calls and data will be accessible incase you post to a blog that the Chicoms don't like. An iPhone sale is an iPhone sale, who cares about the silly government controls, right?
But hey they can get iFart!
It also has carrier branding on it
I've got to say, I doubt it.
Apple should complain that they're being treated unfairly, considering the amount of other phones available with wifi, but who do you complain to?
It's also hard to say anything bad about China without coming across as racist, but seriously, what a crock of...
Can't wait for other stock markets to start propping themselves up to screw China.
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