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In rare TV interview, Tim Cook says he is ‘honored’ to be doing business with China Mobile

In a rare TV interview, Tim Cook described this week’s launch of the iPhone on China Mobile as “a watershed day” for the company. While the soft-spoken Apple CEO is noted for the humbleness with which he speaks, it’s hard to imagine him describing Apple as being “honored” to do business with many other companies.

I’m so honored to be doing business with … China Mobile. It’s a huge announcement…we’re incredibly impressed with them, we have deep respect for them, and have had from the very first discussion that we’ve had together” … 

It had been suggested that Apple found itself in an unusually weak position when negotiating with the carrier, and may have had to make significant concessions to seal the deal.

Neither Cook nor China Mobile’s chairman Xi Guohua would be drawn on sales expectations, but China Mobile did say that it had received 1.2 million pre-orders as of Monday. It was reported yesterday that Apple had shipped 1.4 million iPhone 5s handsets to China ahead of Friday’s launch – with no word on 5c numbers.

Analyst estimates of the likely value of the deal have varied wildly. Cook had previously spoken of the deal as “only the beginning” of its cooperation with the carrier, saying there were “a lot more things our companies can do together in the future.”

The iPhone 5s and 5c have been officially sold by both China Unicom and China Telecom since the handsets were launched last year, but China Mobile’s network dwarfs both. Both smaller carriers have cut their pricing in a bid to compete.

Apple’s stock price initially fell when the launch did not take place on 18th December as had been predicted, then rose again when the deal was finally officially confirmed.

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Comments

  1. drtyrell969 - 10 years ago

    We all know that business in China is little more than a butt-kissing contests, but it’s so painful to see Tim actually doing it on television. Just look at the China official…”That’s right, say it again.”

    • rettun1 - 10 years ago

      I don’t think it’s butt kissing, as much as it is being polite about and excited by the potential business. Something like 500 million people on china mobile? That’s a big number, and Tim & Co. have been trying to make the deal for a while

    • Howard Brittain - 10 years ago

      Whatever. Anyone who does business of any kind therefore ‘butt kisses’ their customers. It’s part of any successful business strategy from the smallest mam and pop business up to the biggest to butter up customers. And in China, honour of this kind of deeply important to Chinese people.

    • Tony Ding - 10 years ago

      I kindly want to ask if you have been personally done business with Chinese company before. put stereotype and ignorance aside, butt kissing along is a little harder to work in China nowadays

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Avatar for Ben Lovejoy Ben Lovejoy

Ben Lovejoy is a British technology writer and EU Editor for 9to5Mac. He’s known for his op-eds and diary pieces, exploring his experience of Apple products over time, for a more rounded review. He also writes fiction, with two technothriller novels, a couple of SF shorts and a rom-com!


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