The iPhone in China by the End of 2009
SUNDAY, JULY 12, 2009 -- BusinessWeek quotes a Colorado stock research firm saying the Chinese government received an application from Apple on July 10th seeking a Network Access License to sell the iPhone for officially-sanctioned use in the country.
"Officially-sanctioned use," it turns out, means the iPhone without Wi-Fi connectivity.
“Apple was hellbent on having the iPhone be wifi-enabled,” Matt Mathison, an analyst with Wedge Partners, tells BusinessWeek. “The Chinese government has been just as adament that it not be.”
BusinessWeek didn't address why the Chinese government is insistent on the iPhone not having Wi-Fi but the speculation is that the strong arm of central government has less control of Wi-Fi than it does of cellular networks.
With Apple apparently agreeing to Beijing's demand, the iPhone could be in China by the end of the year, Mathison tells BusinessWeek. [PAB]
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