Photos of the iPhone 3G surfaced on the website of the Shanghai branch of China Unicom.
NetworkWorld reports:
The information (in Chinese), which listed smartphones supported by the 3G network China Unicom is building, appeared only on the Web site of the company’s Shanghai branch and did not say whether the products would be offered in China.
The site’s changes follow media reports that a China Unicom delegation visiting Apple last week made a breakthrough in talks over offering the iPhone 3G on its network.
A spokeswoman for the company’s headquarters said she did not know why the information was on the Web site. China Unicom’s regional branches are fairly independent.
Given the independant nature of China Unicom’s branches, I wouldn’t put much weight into this story. It’s simply the latest tidbit in Apple’s ongoing efforts to get the iPhone into China.
If you recall, Apple initially approached the largest mobile provider in China, China Mobile, but those talks hit a few roadblocks. Apple then approached China Unicom, China’s second largest mobile provider, and while a deal has yet to be struck with them yet, negotiations appear to be running smoother than they were with China Mobile, who reportedly wanted to help co-administor the iTunes App Store.
Tue, Mar 24, 2009
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