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China Mobile sold over 1M iPhones last month, chairman non-committal about the numbers

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A man holds a new Apple iPhone 5S next to his iPhone 5 at an Apple Store at Tokyo's Ginza shopping district

Photo: readwrite.com

China Mobile announced that it sold 1.34M 4G handsets in February and that “most of them” were iPhones. China Mobile chairman Xi Guohua was relatively non-committal on the numbers.

It’s just been getting started for one or two months. So far it’s hard to tell how that will affect our business […]

We are happy with the progress as we are still building our 4G network and the coverage is only available in some major cities.

Analyst estimates of likely sales had varied widely. Most had predicted at least 15-17M sales a year in China as a whole, however, suggesting that 1M in a month on what is by far the country’s largest carrier may be somewhat lower than anticipated … 
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iPhone market share in China more than doubled following 5s and 5c launch

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counterpoint-china-iphone

Data from smartphone market intelligence specialist Counterpoint shows that iPhone market share in China more than doubled between September and October even before launching on the country’s biggest carrier, China Mobile.

Apple’s market share rose from just under 5 percent to 12 percent, taking it from 6th place to 3rd place, behind Samsung and Lenovo … 
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China Mobile launch for iPhone as good as confirmed for 18th December [Update: It’s official]

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iPhone-5-China

Image: appadvice.com

Update: The Chinese government has now confirmed this date.

The iPhone looks set to be launched by China Mobile – the biggest carrier in the world’s biggest country – on Wednesday 18th December, reports the WSJ. While neither the carrier nor Apple have made a definitive announcement, China Mobile has said this is the date it will “introduce a new brand.”

The launch is expected during the company’s 4G global partners conference in Guangzhou, according to China Mobile’s website. An executive at the world’s largest mobile operator has said it is ready to start fourth-generation mobile services, though China has yet to issue 4G licenses. In September, China’s Telecom Equipment Certification Center gave Apple Inc.the final license necessary for the iPhone to run on China Mobile’s network … 
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WSJ says Apple’s PR goes on offensive as competition heats up

Tim-Cook-apology

The Wall Street Journal is out with a report today that claimed Apple’s press relations team has tried “a little harder to get its message out” by sending members of the press an increasing number of positive third-party reports about the company. The Wall Street Journal described one of the reports Apple PR sent out as a “study predicting that by 2014, Apple will be as accepted in the enterprise as Microsoft is today.” According to article, Apple has sent out five reports in a month since the starting of 2013, representing quite an increase compared to the past.

Apple issued a press release last month for the minor iOS 6.1 release, as well as the 128GB iPad released today ahead of Microsoft’s new 128GB Surface product. The Wall Street Journal said a person familiar with the matter claimed it’s a “recognition that competition is heating up.”

Apple, and indeed virtually all its competitors, send reporters favorable studies from time to time. But the five reports Apple has sent since the start of the year, mostly related to mobile market share, represent more than recent months… Apple has long been willing to sing its own praises when it needs to, issuing press releases about major milestones, products and sales. So rather than a big shift, the latest moves represent a recognition that competition is heating up, a person familiar with the matter says. Apple also has more to cheer internationally, with growth in countries like China very strong.