Apple is preparing to ship new low-cost iPhones to China Mobile, in a sign that the company has reached an agreement to supply the world’s biggest mobile carrier, The Wall Street Journal had reported on Friday.
The report came just days before Apple is due to unveil new iPhone models, including a colourful and less expensive version of its flagship model, to better compete with rival Samsung in emerging markets where consumer budgets are more limited than in Europe and the US.
Apple has been trying for years to strike a deal with China Mobile, the world’s largest mobile phone operator with 740 million subscribers.
Apple is only the seventh largest smartphone seller in China, lagging behind Samsung and a raft of domestic manufacturers. Its third quarter sales in China fell 14 per cent to $4.6 billion compared to a year earlier.