China Mobile

iPhone talks in China in 'final stages,' state media reports

Things seem to be heating up again for the iPhone in China, according to several press accounts early Tuesday.

The most promising was an item in 21st Century Business Herald, a Chinese state-controlled financial paper, which described talks between Apple (AAPL) and China Mobile (CHL), the world's largest cellphone carrier, as in their "final stages," according to AFP.

Meanwhile, both Reuters and Network World carried remarks made by China Mobile CEO Wang Jianzhou MORE

China Mobile's iPhone negotiations enter endgame

The overseas iPhone deal that could prove to be Apple's most important has cleared its final hurdle, according to two reports out of China.

"Apple is no longer insisting on a revenue-sharing policy," China Mobile spokeswoman Rainie Lei told Reuters on Friday, "so the biggest hurdle for China Mobile to bring in the iPhone has been cleared."

"We've broken through the biggest obstacle," Gao Songge, deputy director of China Mobile's general department, MORE

Did China just open the door for Apple's iPhone?

There were plenty of losers Monday in the wake of the People's Republic of China's sweeping overhaul of its telecommunications industry.

China Mobile lost more than $25 billion in market value after the government announced over the weekend that it was merging two smaller competitors in an effort to weaken the giant carrier's hold on the country's cell phone business -- prompting Goldman Sachs to issue a rare "sell" rating on MORE

China Mobile: 400,000 iPhones are using our network

Remember Apple's (AAPL) on-again off-again negotiations with China Mobile, the No. 1 wireless carrier in China?

Well, here's one reason the talks may have broken down: According to China Mobile, there were already 400,000 cracked iPhones using its cellular network by the end of 2007.

That number, if accurate, is astonishing. It would mean that there are more unauthorized iPhones in China than there are authorized iPhones in Europe. It would account MORE

China Mobile iPhone talks in question

UPDATE: China Mobile is now said to have denied Southern Daily's report that talks with Apple have stalled. See here.

Instant analysis from The Mac Observer's Apple Finance Board:

Pretty much as expected, everyone is playing hardball, but China Mobile just blinked by having to issue a denial that it had terminated discussions, thereby looking like the weaker hand. They'll be furious at having to disclose their interest in this manner - MORE