macnn
08/29/2008, 11:40am, EDT
Friday, August 29th
China Mobile ready to subsidize iPhones?
China's largest cellphone carrier -- China Mobile -- may be ready to subsidize the iPhone in its home country, says JLM Pacific Epoch. The research firm cites China Communications, which in turns quotes a source close to China Mobile. The source claims that the carrier is close to finishing negotiations with Apple for the iPhone 3G, and as part of the deal, China Mobile would provide a significant subsidy for each unit.
The inclusion of a subsidy is considered critical to China, rather than just beneficial. While many Americans and Europeans have bought unsubsidized iPhones, the majority of Chinese are too poor to afford one; at $499, a 16GB, 2.5G iPhone cost twice the average monthly salary of a Chinese worker.
Apple has sought to bring the iPhone to China for some time, but has previously encountered stiff resistance, mainly due to an insistence on revenue sharing. The company dropped this policy with the iPhone 3G however, which helped reinvigorate talks with China Mobile.
Filed under: iPhone, industry, Apple
Other story tags: iPhone 3G, China, China Mobile
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cant afford?
one would think with all the electronics they make there it would be cheaper.... Well they did jack with the world in the olympics, and blocked access to the tibet album... i say dont lower the price for them, charge them what you would everyone else until they stop thier games.
@ 1st poster
You are a hypocrite idiot. Don't judge based on your limited or non existent knowledge of China. Independence for Tibet? Even the Dalai Lama said in an interview with US media that he doesn't want Tibet independence. So shut up and worry about the Guantanamo Bay prisoners. Remember how the US and Europeans have captured, tortured and killed slaves from Africa? The British taking advantage of the Indians and Chinese? You scream that China is evil for stopping the riots in Tibet... What about the French using brutal police force to suppress student riots in 2007? US invading Iraq for oil?