“Apple Inc. fully supports China Mobile’s next generation TD-LTE technology and talks are ongoing over a possible iPhone tie up with the carrier, China Mobile’s chairman was quoted as saying,” China Daily reports.
“China Mobile, the world’s largest carrier by subscribers, has been negotiating for years with Apple to develop an iPhone that runs on TD-SCDMA, the home-grown standard it is using for its 3G network,” China Daily reports. “‘We hope that when they develop the next-generation models, since Apple can create CDMA, they can also consider developing TD-SCDMA,’ China Mobile Chairman Wang Jianzhou was quoted as saying on Wednesday by the Sina Technology news portal. ‘These two years we have been discussing the issue. Right now the situation is moving forward. Apple has made it clear they will support TD-LTE,’ Wang said in Davos, Switzerland.”
Full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Fred Mertz” and “Lynn W.” for the heads up.]
Pop goes the weasel!
If china mobile puts a sizable down payment, like $2 billion, I am sure apple will accommodate them.
“‘We hope that when they develop the next-generation models, since Apple can create CDMA, they can also consider developing TD-SCDMA,’ China Mobile Chairman Wang Jianzhou was quoted as saying on Wednesday by the Sina Technology news portal. ‘These two years we have been discussing the issue. Right now the situation is moving forward. Apple has made it clear they will support TD-LTE,’
Still seems a bit confusing. On the one hand, he says Apple will support TD-LTE, which sounds like their next-gen network, and then he also says that he hopes that Apple can “consider developing for TD-SCDMA, China Mobile’s current 3G standard.
Something must have been lost in translation. Either way, it does sound good.
Well, since China’s mobile market has been in existence for many years, and most of the world’s handset manufacturers have been selling TD-SCDMA and/or TD-LTE phones for some time, there is no need to re-invent the wheel. The chipsets have been in existence for years, they have been tested by others and all Apple needs to do is yank out the CDMA (or GSM) radio and shove TD-SCDMA in.
Obviously, it is not that simple, but it ain’t all that complicated, nor expensive, either.
I’m sure this will be a worthwhile proposition for Apple.
China Mobile has 584,017 subscribers as of 12/31/2010, per their website. As of this 1/26 post, one Chinese Yuan represents $.152.
Capturing just 16.5% (96,363) of the above subscriber market would be approximate to adding another at&t or verizon subscriber base–all using Apple product! At the Apple store in Beijing, an outright purchase of an iPhone 4 16 GB costs 4999 yuan ($732), or the 32 GB 5999 yuan at $911.
Despite the exchange rate differences, the adjusted Chinese market retail and multiple subscription cost models may provide a healthy revenue stream to Apple, with an equally energetic boost in share value.
First, 80% of China Mobile’s users are pre-paid, not post-paid, so you have to factor that into any capture scenarios.
Ofcourse you won’t get an iPhone when you use such a retarded standard… Go GSM and LTE already ffs!!!