Apple and China Mobile currently remain at a standstill regarding negotiations to bring the iPhone to China, with the App Store placed at the center of the conflict.
Interfax China cites a source at China Mobile Research Institute who says the president of China Mobile recently visited the institute and discussed his company’s talks with apple.
Wang Jianzhou said that China Mobile has had three rounds of negotiations with Apple chief Steve Jobs, chief operating officer Tim Cook and various other company officials over the last 18 months. However, negotiations ceased when China Mobile asked for direct control of the App Store, including collecting payments.
Wang said the same credit card payment system that works elsewhere in the world won’t work in the Chinese market, where users pay as they go. "Wang said China Mobile should operate the application store itself in order to maintain its advantage,” the source said.
Analysts have predicted the arrival of the iPhone in China in recent months, but the negotiations between Apple and China Mobile may have pushed back the devices debut.
