In According to sources, Apple is now close to entering into a deal for offering its iPhone to millions of Chinese consumers through Chinas largest mobile operator, the state owned China Mobile Ltd. In the past, for most American companies, the tightly regulated Chinese market has proved to be like a tightrope on which it is rather difficult to walk. Chinese factories assemble most of the gadgets sold in China.
Apple will be hoping that it will manage to address the needs of Chinas emerging middle class. The company has already opened a few exclusive stores in the country, where it markets its iPads, Mac computers, and other devices. The iPhone too has been available in China since 2009 through the countrys second largest telecom operator, China Unicom (Hong Kong) Ltd. But Unicom has only 200 million subscribers, whereas China Mobile has 600 million.
It is also a fact that Apple has recognised Chinas potential relatively late. Its competitors in the devices space, companies like HP, Dell, Nokia, Motorola and Samsung, already have huge investments in China. So in its latest attempt Apple is bound to face strong competition from large international firms that are already entrenched in the country. There are also the firms of Chinese origin, the likes of HTC, Huawei and ZTE, that will be offering tough competition to Apple.
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