China's 3G subscribers grow 83% in 2012, reach 233M

Posted:
in iPhone edited January 2014
The number of mobile 3G subscribers in China surged 83 percent in 2012, again underscoring the importance of the country to potential growth for Apple's iPhone.

At the end of 2012, China had 233 million 3G subscribers, analyst Brian White of Topeka Capital Markets noted on Tuesday. The number of subscribers was up from 127.5 million at the end of 2011.

iOS


China gained 11.8 million 3G subscribers in the month of December in 2012 alone. 3G subscribers now represent 21 percent of China's wireless subscribers, up from a 13.1 percent share a year prior.

Still, White noted that 3G penetration in China remains low compared to the developed world. As such, he sees "significant growth opportunities" for mobile companies, including Apple.

He projects that China will have between 325 and 350 million 3G subscribers by the end of this year.

The Chinese market has been a major focus for Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook. Last year's iPhone 5 launch saw the fastest global rollout ever for a new Apple handset, and iPhone 5 launch sales in China topped 2 million in its first weekend of availability in December.

Apple's potential growth is expected to grow even more once the company forges a deal with China Mobile ? the largest carrier in the world, and the last major Chinese carrier to not offer the iPhone.

White expects that Apple will finalize a deal with China Mobile this year. Cook himself met with China Mobile executives in a recent trip, in which the two sides discussed "matters of cooperation."

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 14
    solipsismxsolipsismx Posts: 19,566member
    I say it's time to drop the hammer on China Mobile.
  • Reply 2 of 14


    Originally Posted by SolipsismX View Post

    I say it's time to drop the hammer on China Mobile.


     


    What would happen if Apple announced the iPhone on China Mobile during the conference call?


     


    Would the stock drop at ALL afterward?

  • Reply 3 of 14
    solipsismxsolipsismx Posts: 19,566member
    What would happen if Apple announced the iPhone on China Mobile during the conference call?

    Would the stock drop at ALL afterward?

    I doubt they'd do that during an earnings call but I would imagine the stock would shoot up considerably on that news.
  • Reply 4 of 14
    solipsismx wrote: »
    I doubt they'd do that during an earnings call but I would imagine the stock would shoot up considerably on that news.

    I agree. China is a market that investors cannot deny; if Apple gains CM as their customer Wall Street will understand this is significant. Heck, analysts will praise that news.
  • Reply 5 of 14
    mvigodmvigod Posts: 172member


    Apple needs a larger screen iphone now more than it needs China Mobile.  If they can't get one in the market by June they have missed the boat bigger than they have already.  One simple device is all they have to ship compared to dozens of smartphones put out by Samsung in various shapes, sizes and OS'es.  Apple needs to understand there is huge demand for large screens and get on it before more iPhone users leave for Android.  This is not hard stuff.  Why can't Cook get it done? 


     


    And our supply chain guy also seeing iMac's pushed back again.  This is months now after they were announced.  Not good.  Add to this the worst capital allocation strategy of any company ever and I have to wonder if Cook should be CEO after all?  I think you can leave him in supply chain role but running Apple and the supply chain is simply too much.  Apple needs a showy charismatic front man and is lacking this now.  Somebody who, like Jobs, goes for the jugular when threatened or mocked.  Apple sat idly by while Samsung mocked people waiting on line for iPhone in a commercial.  Apple's silent response was deafening. 


     


    Time to find a great CEO who has vision, can push the army to move faster and let Cook focus on supply chain, what he does best. 

  • Reply 6 of 14
    philboogiephilboogie Posts: 7,675member
    mvigod wrote: »

    {above post ^}

    Thank you.The next time we want your opinion, we'll holler!
  • Reply 7 of 14


    Originally Posted by mvigod View Post

    Apple needs a larger screen iphone now more than it needs China Mobile. 


     


    Apple needs neither.






     If they can't get one in the market by June they have missed the boat bigger than they have already.



     


    When does the whining about ever larger screens end? You don't get it.


     




    One simple device is all they have to ship compared to dozens of smartphones put out by Samsung in various shapes, sizes and OS'.



     


    Apple makes all the money, still has the best sales, and has the best quality products. Explain why they need anything else.


     




      Apple needs to understand there is huge demand for large screens…



     


    [citation needed, but will never be provided, as it's not true]






    This is not hard stuff.  Why can't Cook get it done? 



     


    Because you're just a troll with zero facts or evidence and you think that you can pretend anything you want without people calling you out.


     


    Or if you don't like that answer, here's another: shut up and make a phone yourself, then. It's not hard stuff.






    Add to this the worst capital allocation strategy of any company ever…




     


    "Hey, so, we have all this money." "Yeah." "And instead of spending money we don't even have, like the government," "Okay." "we'd like to hang onto it and save it for when we need it." "YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT YOU ARE DOING."






    Apple sat idly by while Samsung mocked people waiting on line for iPhone in a commercial.  Apple's silent response was deafening.




     


    So you know zero about finances, zero about customer requests, demands, needs, and wants, zero about supply, and now zero about advertising. Okay, thanks!

  • Reply 8 of 14
    solipsismxsolipsismx Posts: 19,566member
    mvigod wrote: »
    Apple needs a larger screen iphone now more than it needs China Mobile.  If they can't get one in the market by June they have missed the boat bigger than they have already.  One simple device is all they have to ship compared to dozens of smartphones put out by Samsung in various shapes, sizes and OS'es.  Apple needs to understand there is huge demand for large screens and get on it before more iPhone users leave for Android.  This is not hard stuff.  Why can't Cook get it done? 

    And our supply chain guy also seeing iMac's pushed back again.  This is months now after they were announced.  Not good.  Add to this the worst capital allocation strategy of any company ever and I have to wonder if Cook should be CEO after all?  I think you can leave him in supply chain role but running Apple and the supply chain is simply too much.  Apple needs a showy charismatic front man and is lacking this now.  Somebody who, like Jobs, goes for the jugular when threatened or mocked.  Apple sat idly by while Samsung mocked people waiting on line for iPhone in a commercial.  Apple's silent response was deafening. 

    Time to find a great CEO who has vision, can push the army to move faster and let Cook focus on supply chain, what he does best. 

    To recap, the most successful and dominate handset vendor with the highest and fastest selling single model smartphone in the world has no idea what it's doing or what it needs to do to be successful to the point of the only solution being the removal and replacement of Tim Cook. Awesome¡


    PS: Remember the Verizon ads that mocked the iPhone. Remember the MS ads that scoffed at Apple's high prices? So going for the jugular was to make deal with each of them? Got it¡
  • Reply 9 of 14
    kdarlingkdarling Posts: 1,640member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by SolipsismX View Post



    PS: Remember the Verizon ads that mocked the iPhone. Remember the MS ads that scoffed at Apple's high prices? So going for the jugular was to make deal with each of them? Got it¡


     


    Minor historical quibbles:


     


    Source-wise, it was the Droid ads created by Motorola that mocked the iPhone itself for being "a tiara wearing beauty pageant queen".   The ads created by Verizon mocked only AT&T while "feeling sorry" for the iPhone being stuck on it, thus leaving open the option of dealing with Apple to get the iPhone on Verizon.


     


    As for the high prices, Ballmer was correct when he said it wouldn't sell in the US at its starting price.   Sure enough, two months after coming out, Apple had to radically drop the iPhone price to get more sales.   Even after that short boost, sales continued to drop until the 3G model came out with full subsidies.

  • Reply 10 of 14
    philboogiephilboogie Posts: 7,675member
    kdarling wrote: »
    As for the high prices, Ballmer was correct when he said it wouldn't sell in the US at its starting price.   Sure enough, two months after coming out, Apple had to radically drop the iPhone price to get more sales.   Even after that short boost, sales continued to drop until the 3G model came out with full subsidies.

    Too funny! So when they dropped the price they did that because they weren't selling enough, but when they did drop the price they still weren't selling enough.

    Got it ¡

    Personally, I like their strategy, I like it a lot!
  • Reply 11 of 14
    ksecksec Posts: 1,569member
    While i agree they need a bigger screen, but definitely not more then China Mobile. iPhone will still continue to sell well even if they remain in 4" screen. I think if Apple ever decide to release a bigger screen devices it wouldn't be called a phone.

    Since Qualcomm will finally have a , TDS-CDMA capable single chip ready first half this year, and Apple were recently talking about having China as 1st wave launch list. I think they will be doing just that with 5S, working with China Mobile. ( If they can finally deal ).

    The potential market for TDS-CDMA iPhone is HUGE.
  • Reply 12 of 14

    Quote:


    Originally Posted by Tallest Skil View Post


     


    Apple needs neither.



     


    In your opinion, what does Apple need? I know Apple needs... = trolling.


    But seriously. Apple is a company they need customers, they need sales in order to make money. And standing still in such a fast paced enviroment like smartphones or tablets could be deadly (Look at Nokia). I'm not saying that apple is standing still, I'm just not agreeing with the "Apple needs nothing" attitude.


     


    Quote:


    When does the whining about ever larger screens end? You don't get it.




    Apple made a phone with a larger screen. You therefore can't deny, that Apple 'needed' to do that.


    Quote:


    Because you're just a troll with zero facts or evidence and you think that you can pretend anything you want without people calling you out.



    Don't feed the trolls.

  • Reply 13 of 14


    Apple WILL go bigger, screenwise. They have to, and they will. So why don't some of you just pull back their "I am God, I know it all" rhetoric a bit? Because you will find yourself in the situation, where you will have to defend Apple's decision to go bigger... to phrase it in a "I am God, I know it all"-way.


     


    But this post will be deleted by then of course, like other ones I keep seeing disappearing... Good thing the guys from the counter-blog keep a copy of everything for the world to see (and laugh at, I'm afraid).


     


    Now lets wait and see, if Apple won't go big....

  • Reply 14 of 14


    Originally Posted by changeover View Post

    Apple made a phone with a larger screen. You therefore can't deny, that Apple 'needed' to do that.


     


    Sure I can. Anyone can. Maybe they wanted to do it. They certainly didn't need it, as shown by their sales. So it's not on me to prove they "needed" to do it!


     


    Enjoy your ban(s), by the way. Don't do it again. You're already past the point of having even one.

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