Apple's share of active smartphones in China has slowly decreased from 19.8% in the fourth quarter of 2012 to 18% in the third quarter 2013, according to Kantar Worldpanel. The deal has the potential to reverse this trend.
With over 750 million mobile subscriptions, China Mobile is the largest mobile carrier by subscriptions in the world. The deal gives Apple unprecedented access to a huge market. In addition, China Mobile will be the first carrier in the country to offer 4G. The company's faster network will be compatible with the iPhone, in contrast to the company's 3G network. In combination with carrier subsidies, this could be enough of an incentive for Chinese consumers to open their pockets for an upgrade to a premium device.
In other news...
Apple displaced Dell to become the most desirable desktop brand during the holidays, according to Park Associates. (CNET)
As early as today, Twitter could announce that it is ready to start offering retargeted ads. There is speculation that Twitter will be the first social network to bring these ads to mobile. (TechCrunch)
China's central bank banned financial institutions from handling Bitcoin which led to a 20% plunge in the value of the crypto-currency. (Bloomberg)
A leaked screenshot of Uber's dashboard provides a window into the company's financial standing. (Valleywag)
Activist investor Carl Icahn filed a shareholder proposal aimed at getting Apple to amp up its share buyback program. (TechCrunch)
The NSA is tracking the whereabouts of mobile devices across the globe, collecting 5 billion location-based records daily. (Washington Post).
A digital publishing company is using the new iBeacon to offer location-based access to subscription magazines. (TechCrunch)
The FCC approved Verizon's $130 billion purchase of Vodafone's stake in the company. (Verizon)