The deal Apple investors has been patiently waiting for since 2007 may have finally come to fruition.
According to Fortune, a subsidiary of China Mobile in Suzhou, west of Shanghai, has posted a web page taking pre-orders for Apple’s iPhone 5s and 5c.
China Mobile is the largest mobile carrier in the world with over 740 million subscribers. This deal will significantly boost Apple smartphone market share and revenue in China.
“If the carrier is orchestrating a soft launch to work out the kinks, Suzhou is not a bad place to stage it,” Philip Elmer-DeWitt writes for Fortune. “It’s one of the richest cities in China, with a sizeable population of smartphone users who would not only know about the iPhone, but could probably afford it.”