Apple may put YouKu app on Chinese iPhones

Apple was rumored on Friday to be making a rare exception and customizing the iPhone for a particular country. Chinese video site YouKu's head Victor Koo was purportedly talking with Apple chief Steve Jobs about having a YouKu app preloaded in the default configuration for phones sold in China. Since the YouTube app is banned by the Chinese government, YouKu would effectively be filling in, TechNode was told by a "trusted resource."

The timing for the claimed change wasn't given out, though it might wait until iOS 5 and the next iPhone.

While Apple often tries to insist on the same firmware for iPhones whenever possible, it has been willing to make exceptions when the law or carrier demands make it necessary. The Japanese iPhone 3G when it shipped came with a home screen shortcut to SoftBank's Yahoo portal. In China, Apple already had to temporarily sell iPhones without Wi-Fi along with removing the YouTube app.

YouKu may be a strong substitute for YouTube as the top video upload site in the country and the rough equivalent to Google's service. [via MIC Gadget]

By Electronista Staff

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iPhone, industry, Google, YouTube, Softbank, Yahoo, mobile phones, Apple, YouKu