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Report: Over 400,000 iPhones on China Mobile

updated 11:05 am EST, Mon February 18, 2008

400,000+ iPhones in China

As many as 400,000 or more iPhones are already operating in China, according to a report issued by In-Stat. The research firm cites figures from China Mobile, the country's largest cellular carrier, which claims that the 400,000 figure was reached by the end of 2007, representing a full tenth of all iPhone shipments confirmed by Apple. In-Stat notes that this is four times what it had expected to find.

The difficulty for Apple is that the iPhone is not officially on sale in China, and therefore any phones in the country must be unlocked and imported from other regions. Apple still benefits from this in terms of increased unit sales, but it may mean decreased numbers when the phone makes its official debut, and less shared revenue from whichever carrier Apple chooses to partner with.

Although Apple has shown signs of wanting the iPhone in China by the end of 2008, the company has so far made no progress in terms of negotiations. Talks with China Mobile in fact broke off in January, allegedly over Apple's insistence on revenue sharing, a practice not typically welcomed in China. Apple's only alternative is China Unicom, which is smaller than Mobile but is the only other national carrier in the country.

 
Previous Comments

Not welcomed by anyone...

02/18, 11:27am reply

...but Apple it would seem - too bad Apple couldn't find some other revenue stream like clickthrough ads &/or just sell the darn thing unlocked & 'be happy'...

bobolicious

Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Aug 2002

0

One has to wonder...

02/18, 01:36pm reply

What the cost of an iPhone really is. ie would Apple go bust if it sold 100 million iPhones and no one went through the official carriers?

Clive

Mac Enthusiast

Joined: Jan 2001

0

nothing like...

02/18, 01:36pm reply

Apple inadvertantly getting their foot in the China's Door_

Good for business when/if they expand there_ Might be the start of the downfall of the Communist regime there_

@bobolicious - they at least made money on the sale of the phone_ That still ballparks them $1.6 Million in revenue_ Yeah_ Sucks to be Apple_

UberFu

Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Oct 2002

0

@uberfu

02/18, 01:39pm reply

My bad! Forgot the zeros_

$400 each x 400,000 units = $160,000,000 revenue_

Still sucks to be Apple_

UberFu

Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Oct 2002

0

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