Reuters reports that recent talks between China Mobile and Apple have been progressing smoothly and that the two sides are positive about reaching an possible agreement, according to the company's chairman Xi Guohua. Mr Xi told Reuters that "both sides sounded keen" during recent talks, which have been ongoing since the start of 2011.
Of the three Chinese carriers, China Mobile is the only one to utilize TD-SCDMA technology, a standard developed by the company and not supported by any current iPhone model. The carrier has also been reluctant to commit to the huge cost of marketing and handset subsidies associated with the iPhone. But new chips from Qualcomm now give Apple an opportunity to support China Mobile's network in its upcoming hardware.
Apple is expected to unveil its redesigned iPhone next month and may also release a cheaper, emerging market smartphone. Crucially, it also now has Qualcomm Inc chips that can operate even on China's obscure networks. At the same time, Beijing is expected to grant 4G licenses by the year-end that favor the biggest of its domestic mobile operators.
Apple has so far ducked a deal with China Mobile as this would have required a redesign inside the iPhone to work on the operator's inferior TD-SCDMA 3G technology. For its part, China Mobile has been reluctant to commit to the huge cost of marketing and subsidizing sales of the expensive iPhone.
Beijing is looking to expand 4G networks within China by the end of the year and the licenses are expected to be based on TD-LTE technology, as supposed to the more widely-used FDD-LTE, both of which the new Qualcomm chips expected to be used in the upcoming iPhone 5C and 5S models support.
The report comes after China Mobile, the world's largest mobile network in terms of subscribers, posted healthy Q2 profits that beat the analyst expectations. Net income rose to CNY 35.2 billion ($5.8 billion) for the second quarter from CNY 34.4 billion ($5.62 billion) a year earlier, which surpassed the CNY 33.9 billion average of four analyst expectations, as reported by Bloomberg.
Although a date has yet to be confirmed by Apple, many sources confirm that new iPhone models will be announced on September 10. Recent leaks have provided strong evidence that Apple is developing a lower-cost smartphone, perhaps dubbed the "5C" for developing markets. And with chip technology now allowing Apple to more easily support China Mobile's network, the opportunity is ripe for the company to make a push on the world's largest carrier.
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Past Launch Dates
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Monday December 1, 2025 2:16 pm PST by Juli Clover
Apple AI chief John Giannandrea is stepping down from his position and retiring in spring 2026, Apple announced today.
Giannandrea will serve as an advisor between now and 2026, with former Microsoft AI researcher Amar Subramanya set to take over as vice president of AI. Subramanya will report to Apple engineering chief Craig Federighi, and will lead Apple Foundation Models, ML research, and ...
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The change was first spotted by users on Reddit and confirmed in an updated Netflix support page (via Android Authority), which now states that the streaming service no longer supports casting from mobile devices...
Cyber Week is here, and you can find popular Apple products like AirPods, iPad, Apple Watch, and more at all-time low prices. In this article, the majority of the discounts will be found on Amazon.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
Specifically,...
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Apple is expected to launch a new foldable iPhone next year, based on multiple rumors and credible sources. The long-awaited device has been rumored for years now, but signs increasingly suggest that 2026 could indeed be the year that Apple releases its first foldable device.
Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos.
Below, we've collated an updated set of key details that ...
The updated specs of the M5 iPad Pro may point toward a major new feature for Apple's next-generation Studio Display expected in early 2026.
Apple's latest iPad Pro debuted last month and contains one display-related change that stands out: it can now drive external monitors at up to 120Hz with Adaptive Sync. The feature should deliver lower latency, smoother motion, and fewer visual...
Monday December 1, 2025 5:00 am PST by Tim Hardwick
2026 could be a bumper year for Apple's Mac lineup, with the company expected to announce as many as four separate MacBook launches. Rumors suggest Apple will court both ends of the consumer spectrum, with more affordable options for students and feature-rich premium lines for users that seek the highest specifications from a laptop.
Below is a breakdown of what we're expecting over the next ...
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Apple recently teamed up with Japanese fashion brand ISSEY MIYAKE to create the iPhone Pocket, a limited-edition knitted accessory designed to carry an iPhone. However, it is now completely sold out in all countries where it was released.
iPhone Pocket became available to order on Apple's online store starting Friday, November 14, in the United States, France, China, Italy, Japan, Singapore, ...
Monday December 1, 2025 8:40 am PST by Joe Rossignol
The calendar has turned to December, and the quieter year-end holiday season is now upon us. Nevertheless, we can still expect a few things from Apple this month.
Apple previously announced that iOS 26.2 will be released to the general public in December, and we can expect corresponding updates to be released as well, including iPadOS 26.2, macOS 26.2, watchOS 26.2, tvOS 26.2, and visionOS...
Tuesday December 2, 2025 11:09 am PST by Juli Clover
Apple is encouraging iPhone users who are still running iOS 18 to upgrade to iOS 26 by making the iOS 26 software upgrade option more prominent.
Since iOS 26 launched in September, it has been displayed as an optional upgrade at the bottom of the Software Update interface in the Settings app. iOS 18 has been the default operating system option, and users running iOS 18 have seen iOS 18...
Lower cost iPhone will cannibalize sales of more expensive iPhone. Expect sub $4 billion profit per quarter while Samsung surpasses $10 billion per quarter. :cool:
Dream on, newbie :D
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Lower cost iPhone will cannibalize sales of more expensive iPhone. Expect sub $4 billion profit per quarter while Samsung surpasses $10 billion per quarter. :cool:
So Samsung's PR is working the MR boards now, so sad :D
Lower cost iPhone will cannibalize sales of more expensive iPhone. Expect sub $4 billion profit per quarter while Samsung surpasses $10 billion per quarter. :cool:
Nice try, but Samsung's phones are actually quite decent. The back "plastic" that you Applesexuals complain about doesn't really feel cheap and it's finely engineered to withstand stains and scratches. 1 year and it still looks like brand new while my cheap, tin-can aluminum from Apple is full of scratches after 3 months of use.
yup, things tend to look brand new when they aren't used.
Lower cost iPhone will cannibalize sales of more expensive iPhone. Expect sub $4 billion profit per quarter while Samsung surpasses $10 billion per quarter. :cool:
Lower cost iPhone will cannibalise sales of more expensive Samsung phones. Expect $10 billion profit per quarter for Apple, while Samsung profits crumble. :D
What's the difference between these two statements? Yours is based on the assumption that Apple is run by idiots who don't have a clue about running a business. Mine's based on the opposite. Given that Apple has over $100 bn in the bank, mine is more likely to be right.
Samsung sales are fueled by the anti-Apple group, which is growing daily. They'll gladly pay full price on the newest Samsung phone to give Samsung ammunition against Apple. People who buy Apple products don't care about quality and features. They just want a phone with an Apple logo on the back. They would gladly trade in their $600 iphone for a cheap, $200 POS from Apple.
The fact that the iPhone 4 and 4S are outselling the iPhone 5 is proof of this.
Troll! ;-) If people didn't care about quality and wanted POS phone with an Apple logo, why not just get a Galaxy SIII and put an Apple sticker on the back? ... then they'll be supporting Samsung and satisfy their ego at the same time... :)
Your crap won't be heard here on the message board. Go stand outside of the Apple store and shout out to the people that buy Samdung :p
Guys more we reply to such Crap head, more he will dance around thinking himself great. Ignore this LOSER, yes LOSER :) BTW how are you taking Icahn tweet on AAPL lol
Reuters reports that recent talks between China Mobile and Apple have been progressing smoothly and that the two sides are positive about reaching an possible agreement, according to the company's chairman Xi Guohua. Mr Xi told Reuters that "both sides sounded keen" during recent talks, which have been ongoing since the start of 2011.
