Tim Cook Meets with China Mobile to Discuss 'Cooperation', Shares Thoughts on Chinese Markets

As speculated following his arrival in China earlier this week, Apple CEO Tim Cook has met with representatives of China Mobile, the world's largest carrier. Reuters notes that the two sides discussed "cooperation", but no additional information on the status of long-running negotiations over the iPhone have been revealed.

"In the morning, Apple's CEO Tim Cook visited China Mobile's headquarters. China Mobile's Chairman Xi Guohua and Tim Cook discussed matters of cooperation," said Li Jun, a China Mobile spokesman, in an emailed statement. [...]

Talks between Apple and China Mobile have been going on for years and are stuck on revenue sharing terms, analysts said, so it is tough to say if this meeting would break new ground.

cook miit jan13
Tim Cook meeting with China’s Minister of Industry and Information Technology Miao Wei earlier this week (Source: MIIT)

Cook also sat down with Sina Technology for an exclusive interview [Google translation] in which he touched on a number of topics. Notably, Cook shared that although this was his second visit to China as CEO of Apple, he has visited China numerous times since 1996 and he has observed tremendous changes over that time.

Cook also highlighted Apple's efforts to raise its profile in China, reiterating plans to grow its retail presence from the current 11 stores in Greater China to at least 25 locations. Apple is also working to speed up the approval process for Apple products in China, moves which would allow product launches in China to occur closer to the first waves that generally include the United States and perhaps 5-10 other countries.

As he has in several other settings, Cook skirted discussion of Apple's plans for the television market, noting that he uses and loves the current Apple TV set-top box but that the market does not yet offer similar potential to the smartphone market. As he usually does when confronted with questions about television, Cook shared only that Apple remains very interested in the market and acknowledged that he can not discuss any future plans for the company.

Popular Stories

iphone 17 models

No iPhone 18 Launch This Year, Reports Suggest

Thursday January 1, 2026 8:43 am PST by
Apple is not expected to release a standard iPhone 18 model this year, according to a growing number of reports that suggest the company is planning a significant change to its long-standing annual iPhone launch cycle. Despite the immense success of the iPhone 17 in 2025, the iPhone 18 is not expected to arrive until the spring of 2027, leaving the iPhone 17 in the lineup as the latest...
duolingo ad live activity

Duolingo Used iPhone's Dynamic Island to Display Ads, Violating Apple Design Guidelines

Friday January 2, 2026 1:36 pm PST by
Language learning app Duolingo has apparently been using the iPhone's Live Activity feature to display ads on the Lock Screen and the Dynamic Island, which violates Apple's design guidelines. According to multiple reports on Reddit, the Duolingo app has been displaying an ad for a "Super offer," which is Duolingo's paid subscription option. Apple's guidelines for Live Activity state that...
Low Cost A18 Pro MacBook Feature Pink

Apple's 2026 Low-Cost A18 Pro MacBook: What We Know So Far

Friday January 2, 2026 4:33 pm PST by
Apple is planning to release a low-cost MacBook in 2026, which will apparently compete with more affordable Chromebooks and Windows PCs. Apple's most affordable Mac right now is the $999 MacBook Air, and the upcoming low-cost MacBook is expected to be cheaper. Here's what we know about the low-cost MacBook so far. Size Rumors suggest the low-cost MacBook will have a display that's around 13 ...
govee floor lamp

CES 2026: Govee Announces New Matter-Connected Ceiling and Floor Lights

Sunday January 4, 2026 5:00 am PST by
Govee today introduced three new HomeKit-compatible lighting products, including the Govee Floor Lamp 3, the Govee Ceiling Light Ultra, and the Govee Sky Ceiling Light. The Govee Floor Lamp 3 is the successor to the Floor Lamp 2, and it offers Matter integration with the option to connect to HomeKit. The Floor Lamp 3 offers an upgraded LuminBlend+ lighting system that can reproduce 281...
airpods pro 3 glitter

AirPods New Year's Deals Include Up to $99 Off AirPods Max, AirPods Pro 3, and AirPods 4

Sunday January 4, 2026 8:04 am PST by
Now that the calendar has flipped over into January, steep discounts on popular Apple products have become more rare after the holidays. However, if you didn't get a new pair of AirPods recently and are looking for a model on sale, Amazon does have a few solid second-best prices this week. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a...
Belkin 25W Battery magnetic

CES 2026: Belkin Announces Magnetic Ring Power Bank, Modular Dock, and More

Sunday January 4, 2026 3:02 pm PST by
Belkin today announced a range of new charging and connectivity accessories at CES 2026, expanding its portfolio of products aimed at Apple device users. UltraCharge Pro Power Bank 10K with Magnetic Ring The lineup includes new Qi2 and Qi2.2 wireless chargers, magnetic power banks, a high-capacity laptop battery, and USB-C productivity accessories, with an emphasis on higher charging...
m4 macbook air blue 2

iPadOS and macOS 26.2 Double 5GHz Wi-Fi Bandwidth for Wi-Fi 6E Devices

Monday January 5, 2026 1:57 pm PST by
With the release of iPadOS 26.2 and macOS Tahoe 26.2, Apple has improved the Wi-Fi speeds for select Macs and iPads that support Wi-Fi 6E. Updated Wi-Fi connectivity specifications are listed in Apple's platform deployment guide. The M4 iPad Pro models, M3 iPad Air models, A17 Pro iPad mini, M2 to M5 MacBook Pro models, M2, M3, and M4 MacBook Air models, and other Wi-Fi 6E Macs and iPads now ...
Low Cost MacBook Feature A18 Pro

Low-Price 12.9-Inch MacBook With A18 Pro Chip Reportedly Launching Early This Year

Friday January 2, 2026 9:08 am PST by
Apple plans to introduce a 12.9-inch MacBook in spring 2026, according to TrendForce. In a press release this week, the Taiwanese research firm said this MacBook will be aimed at the entry-level to mid-range market, with "competitive pricing." TrendForce did not share any further details about this MacBook, but the information that it shared lines up with several rumors about a more...

Top Rated Comments

koban4max Avatar
170 months ago
Did Steve dress in a suit during such meet ups?
I don't recall.

Does it matter? Cook is not Steve.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
lyricist3 Avatar
170 months ago
He is 51 :confused: He looks like a very old man.
IMAGE CAPTIONS:

Tim Cook: Hellloo Sweeety
Miao Wei: *help?! anyone?*
Background helper girls: We'll leave you two alone ...
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jayducharme Avatar
170 months ago
Best Tim Cook translation in the article:

I respect very much Ivey, working with him for the glory of my life.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Born Again Avatar
170 months ago
I'm glad apple is sticking to their guns here
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
routine_analyst Avatar
170 months ago
"...our tech executive source claims Cook is into Asian guys..."

source: http://gawker.com/5834158/tim-cook-apples-new-ceo-and-the-most-powerful-gay-man-in-america

source: http://www.examiner.com/article/tim-cook-apple-s-new-ceo-the-most-powerful-gay-person-the-world

^_______^
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
SactoGuy18 Avatar
170 months ago
The big issue for Apple in China is NOT a cheaper iPhone. The issue is compatibility with China Mobile's unique TD-SCDMA digital cellular network; my guess is that Apple has been quietly testing iPhone 5's with a modified A6 SoC that directly supports TD-SCDMA, and as such a China Mobile-specific iPhone 5 will roll out some time in the Spring of 2013.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)