chinamobileliyueChinese carriers China Unicom and China Telecom may be receiving the iPhone 5 on December 14, but the nation's largest carrier, China Mobile, has been left out the launch.

Though speculation has targeted China Mobile's network exclusive TD-SCDMA technology as the problem, the company's president says that's not the case.

As reported by Unwired View, China Mobile President Li Yue today said that incompatible network standards are not the only reason why the iPhone 5 has yet to appear on the carrier.

Speaking at 2012 China Mobile Worldwide Developer Conference, when asked about availability of iPhone, he told the audience that "technology is not a problem, [it's] mainly about business model and benefit-sharing issues".

In May, it was confirmed that China Mobile had been in negotiations with Apple about acquiring the iPhone 5, but thus far those talks have failed to produce results, and today's comment may hint at the reason. It appears that the two companies may be hindered by disagreements over revenue sharing and carrier subsidies rather than technological difficulties.

China Mobile is China's biggest cell phone carrier, with 703 million subscribers. More than 15 million of those subscribers currently use gray market iPhones on the network, which China Mobile supports.

The iPhone 5 has been much anticipated in China. China Unicom began accepting preorders on Monday and received more than 100,000 first day reservations.

Top Rated Comments

gmanist1000 Avatar
147 months ago
703 million subscribers. Just unbelievable.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
smithrh Avatar
147 months ago
It would help if westerners would quit spying on them.

China should look at what's been done to the Middle East, and be wary of outside "investment".
Where's the "not sure if serious" button?

In any case, having had direct experience with Chinese telecom operators, they'll typically want pricing below your cost, then they'll buy a crapton of it, basically wounding you severely.

Then, not too long after that, your designs start to be seen in Chinese competitor's gear.

Then they switch to that "local" vendor.

Fun times.

Edited to add: http://www.infoworld.com/d/security/when-in-china-dont-leave-your-laptop-alone-208168 (http://www.infoworld.com/d/security/when-in-china-dont-leave-your-laptop-alone-208168)
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Mystic386 Avatar
147 months ago
What I read was millions of reasons to invest in more Apple shares.

Imagine Apple profits a year or two from now. They really have a pretty good business.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iPhone 16 Camera Lozenge 2 Perspective Gray

Five Key Upgrades Coming to iPhone 16

Friday March 15, 2024 1:45 pm PDT by
The iPhone is Apple's top-selling product, and it gets an update every year. In 2024, we're expecting the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro lineup, with an arguably more interesting feature set than we got with the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Capture Button All four iPhone 16 models are set to get a whole new button, which will be...
When To Expect New iPads Feature 1

Apple to Announce New iPads on March 26, Rumors Claim

Monday March 18, 2024 4:02 am PDT by
Apple is widely expected to release new iPad Air and OLED iPad Pro models in the next few weeks. According to new rumors coming out of Asia, the company will announce its new iPads on Tuesday, March 26. Chinese leaker Instant Digital on Weibo this morning 日发布%23">claimed that the date will see some sort of announcement from Apple related to new iPads, but stopped short of calling it an...
airpods 3 orange

Two New AirPods 4 Models Expected to Launch in September or October

Sunday March 17, 2024 7:56 am PDT by
Apple suppliers will begin production of two new fourth-generation AirPods models in May, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Based on this production timeframe, he expects the headphones to be released in September or October. Gurman expects both fourth-generation AirPods models to feature a new design with better fit, improved sound quality, and an updated charging case with a USB-C...
iphone se 4 modified flag edges

iPhone SE 4 Expected to Depreciate Heavily

Tuesday March 12, 2024 9:04 am PDT by
Resale value trends suggest the iPhone SE 4 may not hold its value as well as Apple's flagship models, according to SellCell. According to the report, Apple's iPhone SE models have historically depreciated much more rapidly than the company's more premium offerings. The third-generation iPhone SE, which launched in March 2022, experienced a significant drop in resale value, losing 42.6%...
M3 iPad Feature 3

New iPads Likely to Begin Shipping in April

Monday March 18, 2024 9:52 am PDT by
Apple's new iPad Pro models with OLED displays will likely begin shipping to customers in April, according to information shared today by Ross Young, CEO of display industry research firm Display Supply Chain Consultants. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman also said the new iPad Pro models might not ship until "deeper" into April in his Power On newsletter on Sunday:I've repeatedly said that new...
General iOS 17 Feature Orange Purple

iOS 17.4.1 Update for iPhone is Imminent

Monday March 18, 2024 5:27 am PDT by
iOS 17.4.1 and iPadOS 17.4.1 should be released within the next few days, with a build number of 21E235, according to a source with a proven track record. MacRumors previously reported that Apple was internally testing iOS 17.4.1. As a minor update for the iPhone, it will likely address software bugs and/or security vulnerabilities. It is unclear if the update will include any other changes. ...
Reasons to Not Upgrade to macOS Sonoma 14

macOS Sonoma 14.4: Reasons Not to Update

Monday March 18, 2024 9:36 am PDT by
Since Apple unveiled macOS Sonoma 14.4 on March 7, the transition to the latest software update has not been entirely smooth for everyone, and a number of issues have been reported by users that significantly impact their daily workflow. This article lists the most prominent challenges users have faced since updating to macOS Sonoma 14.4, and offers potential solutions where available. USB...