iPhone 3G on track to scale the Great Wall of China

Alex Zaharov-Reutt
Sunday, 29 June 2008 09:16

Your IT - Mobility

Although there is still no specific date for the Chinese iPhone introduction, a China Mobile spokeswoman, Rainie Lei, told Reuters in Hong that "Apple is no longer insisting on a revenue-sharing policy, so the biggest hurdle for China Mobile to bring in the iPhone has been cleared, but there are practical issues still to be resolved."

Steve Jobs did indicate at the WWDC that he hoped the iPhone would come to China and Russia later in 2008, and while things seem a little quiet on the Russian front, the news from China Mobile is encouraging.

Quite what practical issues remain is yet to be seen.

After all, with Apple now allowing mobile phone companies to subsidise the cost of mobile phones, and with AT&T reportedly having to pay Apple US $300 for the iPhone 3G 8GB (and presumably more for the 16GB model), the price Apple really wants for each iPhone from China Mobile is probably the sticking point.

We also know that iPhone 3Gs for sale at unsubsidised prices seem to start at more than €500 in Europe, which is over $800 in Australia, so it looks like every mobile company wants to take a cut from the iPhone’s popularity and have it generate some much needed income.

So, while there’s no official iPhones on sale in China just yet, it looks like the Chinese will soon be able to say ‘Ni Hao’ to the iPhone, too!