Tim Cook China Mobile: Apple CEO Meets with China Mobile – Is a Deal Coming?

Tim Cook China Mobile: Yesterday, we brought you a news story discussing Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s CEO Tim Cook and his visit with a China reseller. In this article, we discussed the possibility that he may be in China with the hope of hashing out a deal with the world’s largest wireless carrier, China Mobile.

It has been confirmed in an interview with Sina Tech that Cook did indeed meet with China Mobile officials.

Despite the fact that Cook confirmed that the meeting did happen, he declined to talk about the final result. As of now, there is no deal between Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) and China Mobile although rumors have been flying around for quite some time.

What about China Mobile? Did they have anything to say about the meeting?

Here is a bit of information from CNBC:

“Apple’s Chief Executive Tim Cook met with China Mobile’s Chairman Xi Guohua on Thursday to discuss “matters of cooperation,” a China Mobile spokesman said, raising hopes that a deal between the two tech giants may move forward.”

“No further details will be given due to a confidentiality agreement signed, the statement said.”

Although China Mobile is the largest carrier in the world, they have yet to strike a deal with the tech giant. This is despite the fact that two competitors in China – China Unicom and China Telecom – currently offer the iPhone.

Would a deal really make that much of a difference for Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)? In short, the answer is yes. Here is a brief explanation of why from a recent AppleInsider article:

“Analyst Amit Daryanani of RBC Capital Markets believes Apple could earn 13 percent of China Mobile’s 75.6 million high-speed 3G subscribers. That doesn’t include the nearly 700 million total subscribers the carrier has, some of which could switch to smartphone plans for the iPhone.”

“Daryanani predicted in November that a potential deal with China Mobile could add about $3 to Apple’s annual earnings per share, and $45 to the company’s stock price.”

“The number of 3G subscribers in China grew 88 percent year over year in 2012 to 222 million. China Mobile is the only major carrier in the country that does not have a deal for Apple’s iPhone, which market watchers believe has helped to stifle the carrier’s smartphone adoption rates.”

As you can see, if Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) strikes a deal with China Mobile it will be a huge victory for the company.

What do you think will happen next? Is a deal coming in the near future?

Check back here for more updates on Tim Cook China Mobile.

DISCLOSURE: I have no positions in any stock mentioned.

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