Apple opens iPhone 5 sales in China, 32 more countries

Posted:
in General Discussion edited January 2014
Apple kicked off sales of the massively popular iPhone 5 handset in China and 31 other countries on Friday, fending off supply constraints as the company continues its fastest rollout ever.

iPhone 5


As noted by The Next Web, the usual long lines seen at past Apple product launches in China were staunched, largely in thanks to the combination of a snow storm and the preorder system instituted by the country's two official partner carriers.

The Sanlitun Apple Store, the company's first retail outlet in China, saw workers milling about waiting to greet customers that never came. The lack of walk-in purchases is in stark contrast to reports of strong pre-sale number that had cellular carrier China Unicom sitting at over 300,000 preorders days before Friday's launch.

China is now Apple's second-largest market, and holds the world's biggest base of mobile subscribers. While the Cupertino, Calif., company has been able to broker deals with China Unicon and China Telecom, Apple has yet to tap into the vast pool of the world's largest carrier China Mobile. An arrangement has been rumored to be in the works for years and China Mobile's president recently acknowledged that the two companies are in talks, but chances are slim that a partnership will be reached in the near future.

Along with China, the iPhone 5 also launched in the following countries on Friday:
Albania, Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Cyprus, Ecuador, Grenada, Indonesia, Israel, Jamaica, Jordan, Kuwait, Macedonia, Malaysia, Moldova, Montenegro, Panama, Paraguay, Philippines, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Taiwan, Turkey, United Arab Emirates and Venezuela.
The smartphone will debut in over 50 countries in December with the next wave of releases scheduled for a week from today.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 17
    I am uncertain that Chine Mobile is such a big deal. Yes, they're the largest telco, but not so much when looking at the 3G piechart:

    [IMG ALT=""]http://forums.appleinsider.com/content/type/61/id/17810/width/500/height/1000[/IMG]

    I know it's from March, but still, it looks like Apple is in no rush to sign a deal as they are in talks for over two years now.
    --
    Commendable milestone that they released the iPhone5 in 50 more countries, with good timing before the holiday season. Although not all of these 'iPhone5 countries' celebrate a Christmas holiday:

    [IMG ALT=""]http://forums.appleinsider.com/content/type/61/id/17812/width/500/height/1000[/IMG]
  • Reply 2 of 17

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by PhilBoogie View Post



    I am uncertain that Chine Mobile is such a big deal. Yes, they're the largest telco, but not so much when looking at the 3G piechart:



    I know it's from March, but still, it looks like Apple is in no rush to sign a deal as they are in talks for over two years now.

    --

    Commendable milestone that they released the iPhone5 in 50 more countries, with good timing before the holiday season. Although not all of these 'iPhone5 countries' celebrate a Christmas holiday:



    that's a great breakdown, i'm sure the iphone will work on the 2g network like the iphone 1st gen - but maybe those without 3g aren't really a demographic to afford the phone being in the more rural areas. that's amazing how the non christmas celebrations lay across the centre of the planet, does this represent colonisation ?

  • Reply 3 of 17


    Phil,


     


    I tend to disagree, China mobile is a BIG deal, since Apple want to obtain as much subscriber coverage as possible within China. China mobile will be trying to increase the transfer of 2G subscribers to 3G and with large subscriber base their have, I would think Apple would want to be have a strategic deal to capture that market.


    Apple will want to grow their subscriber base and you can see there is tremendous opportunity within China mobile.

  • Reply 4 of 17
    China Mobile will probably hold out until they see how much business they are losing. Apple made AT&T a player in the US, and could do that for China Mobile's competition
  • Reply 5 of 17
    antkm1antkm1 Posts: 1,441member


    It took Apple 4 iPhone generations for availability with Verizon, and just this year with T-Mobile, so it will come.  China Mobile is a much bigger player and probably has some pretty strict terms that Apple probably doesn't want to budge on.  It will happen...when is the big question.

  • Reply 6 of 17


    Folks at Apple would probably rejoice finally at the way in which things have turned out for Apple. May be if they aren't able to broker with China Mobile, they'll just turn the tables around with their crazy marketing and get China Mobile behind them!

  • Reply 7 of 17
    rogifanrogifan Posts: 10,669member
    Main headline on Yahoo Finance is AAPL down 3% based on cool reception to iPhone 5 in China. What exactly are they basing that on?
  • Reply 8 of 17
    quinneyquinney Posts: 2,528member
    rogifan wrote: »
    Main headline on Yahoo Finance is AAPL down 3% based on cool reception to iPhone 5 in China. What exactly are they basing that on?

    No riots.
  • Reply 9 of 17
    jungmarkjungmark Posts: 6,927member
    Let's see, Apple stock down because of no lines at stores in China. Competitors have no lines ever yet their stock price doesn't drop. *cough* stock manipulation *cough*
  • Reply 10 of 17


    Originally Posted by quinney View Post

    No riots.


     


    "Must not be worth rioting over. SELL SELL SELL!"

  • Reply 11 of 17
    rogifanrogifan Posts: 10,669member
    jungmark wrote: »
    Let's see, Apple stock down because of no lines at stores in China. Competitors have no lines ever yet their stock price doesn't drop. *cough* stock manipulation *cough*
    Well apparently the stock is down because UBS cut their price target to $700 and Jeffries lowered their sales forecasts for 2013. Again all based on their supposed "supply checks". I'm still not buying it. Is obvious there are some on Wall Street who will do anything to drive the stock down so then they can come back next year and say its a screaming buy. :rolleyes:
  • Reply 12 of 17
    jungmarkjungmark Posts: 6,927member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Rogifan View Post





    Well apparently the stock is down because UBS cut their price target to $700 and Jeffries lowered their sales forecasts for 2013. Again all based on their supposed "supply checks". I'm still not buying it. Is obvious there are some on Wall Street who will do anything to drive the stock down so then they can come back next year and say its a screaming buy. image


    oh no doubt. Apple will blow them away with another record quarter.


    Wall Street will: A) lower stock price because qtr wasn't record breaking enough B) Worry that demand with Q2 is weak as they always do with future qtrs C) Worry that there is no Apple TV set


     


    With all these wrong predictions, it's amazing these analysts still have jobs.

  • Reply 13 of 17
    jfc1138jfc1138 Posts: 3,090member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Rogifan View Post



    Main headline on Yahoo Finance is AAPL down 3% based on cool reception to iPhone 5 in China. What exactly are they basing that on?


    With Apple instituting a reservation system for the purchase of the new items there were no riots as there had been previously.


     


    Obviously the solution is just let the riots roll and for that day pay the Geniuses combat pay.

  • Reply 14 of 17

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by antkm1 View Post


    It took Apple 4 iPhone generations for availability with Verizon, and just this year with T-Mobile, so it will come.  China Mobile is a much bigger player and probably has some pretty strict terms that Apple probably doesn't want to budge on.  It will happen...when is the big question.



    Note that Apple is production constrained. That means they can't match demand as it is. Why would they be in a hurry to add anyone who wants "pretty strict terms" when they can't keep up with demand as it is?


     


    I agree. It will happen. But Apple is going to have to greatly increase its production output before they'll consider cutting any kind of deal. Could be a long time off.

  • Reply 15 of 17
    antkm1antkm1 Posts: 1,441member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Rogifan View Post



    Main headline on Yahoo Finance is AAPL down 3% based on cool reception to iPhone 5 in China. What exactly are they basing that on?


    yeah, no riots because Apple instated a mandatory purchase lottery for devices.  To prevent the massive lines and riots at previous launches.  To me, these reports of lack of lines is 100% due to this change Apple instated.  So yeah they look empty because Apple made it that way.  Why the reports are concluding a lack-luster sales launch is simply ill-founded and ignorant.  And you know wall street just looks at the reports (biased).

  • Reply 16 of 17
    adamcadamc Posts: 583member
    souliisoul wrote: »
    Phil,

    I tend to disagree, China mobile is a BIG deal, since Apple want to obtain as much subscriber coverage as possible within China. China mobile will be trying to increase the transfer of 2G subscribers to 3G and with large subscriber base their have, I would think Apple would want to be have a strategic deal to capture that market.
    Apple will want to grow their subscriber base and you can see there is tremendous opportunity within China mobile.

    The question is how many of the hge subsiber base can afford the iPhone and I tend to agree with Phil it is no big deal now unless 10% can afford to buy the iPhone.
    Apple is no hurry to sign a deal with China Mobile because I don't think Apple would like to set a precedent with the telcos demanding the same terms as China Mobile.
  • Reply 17 of 17
    kdarlingkdarling Posts: 1,640member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Rogifan View Post



    Main headline on Yahoo Finance is AAPL down 3% based on cool reception to iPhone 5 in China. What exactly are they basing that on?


     


    One major factor is that reportedly Apple has made huge parts order cuts.  This is not necessarily because of low orders, but because production is slower due to the new design and thus Apple cannot make enough devices.  This leaves them with too many parts and fewer sales.


     


    Quote:

    Originally Posted by AdamC View Post



    The question is how many of the hge subsiber base can afford the iPhone and I tend to agree with Phil it is no big deal now unless 10% can afford to buy the iPhone.


     


    China at least should be better than India, where Apple struggled to sell more than 50,000 iPhones a year for the first couple of years it was available there.  They're now up to 200,000 a year, with expectations of doing maybe four times that in the next year.  Not much in a country with almost a billion cell users.


     


    That's why everyone keeps looking for Apple to come out with a less expensive model, if they really want to penetrate more markets.  The question is, would they do such a thing?   Who knows.  Cook seems like the type to want more sales numbers, no matter what.  Thoughts?

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