Thursday Apple Rumors: China Mobile Readies for Next iPhone

by Christopher Freeburn | March 14, 2013 1:36 pm

daily apple rumors AAPL[1]Here are your Apple rumors[2] and AAPL news items for today:

Build Up: The world’s largest wireless carrier, China Mobile (NYSE:CHL[3]), will spend $6.7 billion this year to upgrade its networks to offer 4G/TD-LTE connectivity[4], Reuters noted. Those upgrades will come in time to handle Apple‘s (NASDAQ:AAPL[5]) next-generation iPhone, which will reportedly include 4G/TD-LTE connectivity compatible with China Mobile’s network. China Mobile is the only major Chinese carrier not to offer the iPhone. Despite that, it has an estimated 10 million iPhone users — even though its current 3G technology is not fully compatible with available iPhone models. China Unicom (NYSE:CHU[6]) and China Telecom (NYSE:CHA[7]) already offer the iPhone. Apple and China Mobile have been in negotiations to bring the iPhone to the carrier for some time.

Game Bill: An eight-year-old boy in England managed to charge almost £1,000 to his parent’s Apple account[8] while playing an iPad game, The Belfast Telegraph noted. Theo Rowland-Fry unwitting rang up £980 worth of in-app purchases on the Simpsons app. Rowland’s parents say the child didn’t realize that buying donuts in the game came with a real world cost for this parents. Apple has come under criticism for in-app purchases in free-to-download games that have racked up hefty bills for young players’ parents. The company recently agreed to refund some bills and provide credits for others under a settlement of class action lawsuits resulting from the in-app purchases.

More Products: Staples (NASDAQ:SPLS[9]) will be selling more than just accessories for popular Apple mobile devices[10], MacRumors notes. The office supply chain, which started selling iPad and iPhone accessories in February, will soon offer the mobile devices themselves. Staples is distributing training materials to its store employees to help sell iPads, iPhones and Mac notebooks. It remains unknown if Staples will also sell Mac desktop computers. Among the products that are slated to appear on Staples shelves is the iPhone 5. The training materials suggest that Apple devices could appear in Staples stores sometime after March 27.

For more about the company, check out our previous Apple Rumors[11] stories.

Endnotes:

  1. [Image]: https://investorplace.com/hot-topics/apple-rumors-stock-news/
  2. Apple rumors: https://investorplace.com/search/?q=Apple+Rumors&searchsubmit=Search
  3. CHL: http://studio-5.financialcontent.com/investplace/quote?Symbol=CHL
  4. to upgrade its networks to offer 4G/TD-LTE connectivity: http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/14/chinamobile-iphone-idUSL3N0C61J920130314?feedType=RSS&feedName=technologySector&rpc=43
  5. AAPL: http://studio-5.financialcontent.com/investplace/quote?Symbol=AAPL
  6. CHU: http://studio-5.financialcontent.com/investplace/quote?Symbol=CHU
  7. CHA: http://studio-5.financialcontent.com/investplace/quote?Symbol=CHA
  8. to charge almost £1,000 to his parent’s Apple account: http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/breakingnews/offbeat/boy-racks-up-a-1000-ipad-bill-29128775.html
  9. SPLS: http://studio-5.financialcontent.com/investplace/quote?Symbol=SPLS
  10. more than just accessories for popular Apple mobile devices: http://www.macrumors.com/2013/03/13/staples-associates-training-to-support-iphone-ipad-and-mac-notebook-sales-by-late-march/
  11. Apple Rumors: https://investorplace.com/2012/04/hot-topics/apple-rumors-stock-news/

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