Apple now has access to 700mn subscribers of China Mobile

After many years of rumours flying around and negotiations between the two commercial giants, Apple has finally succeeded in bringing the iPhone to the world‘s largest mobile provider, China Mobile. It has been announced that the iPhone 5C and 5S will be available from January 17th, meaning a massive boost in market possibilities for Apple.
It is true that not everyone in China will be able to afford the iPhone 5S, or even the slightly cheaper iPhone 5C, but this is such a massive market that Apple will be making a lot of money from this deal. If Apple can just get a couple of percent market share within the 700 million subscribers of China Mobile, the deal would be considered a success. Not only that, but considering China‘s economic growth over the past decade means that there is a rapidly growing middle and upper-middle class that Apple should be able to exploit.
Today’s announcement confirms a Wall Street Journal report earlier this month that said a contract was in place between the two companies. With the China Mobile deal finally behind it, it’s safe to say 2013 has been a successful year for Apple in Asia, at least in terms of negotiations. Echoing today’s deal, leading Japanese carrier NTT Docomo began selling the iPhone earlier this year after losing market share to rival companies.
Source: Business Wire
Follow Theunis on Twitter: @Theunis_BWB