Giz-China is reporting that Apple has reached an agreement with China Mobile, China's largest wireless provider, and by extension the world's largest provider, to bring a 4G TD-LTE version of the iPhone to their network.
The deal would secure Apple another 600 million plus potential buyers with a potential upside of $70 billion to $200 billion according to to AllthingsD.
Thats a lot of money.
The alleged confirmation jives well with reports from earlier this year, but still doesn't specify a model of iPhone or when it will be released. Images of Apple COO Tim Cook visiting China Mobile's headquarters in June have helped fule the rumors as well. The move to bring the iPhone to China Mobile would no doubt be a smart decision for Apple, but the legitimacy of the alleged confirmation should be taken with a grain of very large, rocky salt, reminiscent of deer-lick.
Tim Cook did give up this gem of information during the last quarterly earning's call when asked about the prospect of a deal with China Mobile:
Pre-paid or unlocked phones (phones without contract) are very key in China. And very key in a number of emerging markets where credit systems are not as well established as in Western Europe, USA, Japan, etc. The iPhone volume for the first 3 quarters of the fiscal year was up 5X year over year. We are not saying at all how to play perfectly in the environment. We have more to do and more to learn. We feel very good about our progress. We are taking those learnings and applying them to other markets as well. - Cook
Source: Giz-China, AllThingsD
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