Morgan Stanley analyst Katy Huberty believes Apple will partner up with both China Telecom and China Mobile over the next year, and will eventually make the iPhone available on all three Chinese carriers, reports Apple Insider. The move could bring sales of the popular handset to as many as 40 million units in 2013 alone. The iPhone is currently only offered by China Unicom, the nation’s second largest carrier. Through this partnership, Huberty believes Apple can only reach 10% of the 150 million “high-end Chinese subscribers” in the country. China Mobile, the world’s largest mobile carrier, holds the majority of the country’s high-end subscribers with an estimated 120 million customers, with the final 10% of high-end subscribers carried by China Telecom, the third-largest carrier in China. Huberty also believes Apple’s sixth-generation iPhone is likely to be compatible with China Mobile’s upcoming 4G TD-LTE network, although she notes it is “still too early to know for sure.” Morgan Stanley expects the next-generation iPhone to launch in the third quarter this year — BGR reported last month that Apple will launch a redesigned iPhone this fall — and the firm believes China Mobile will release the new iPhone in late 2012 or early 2013.

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China Mobile has yet to convince Apple to partner on an iPhone that supports its proprietary TD-SCDMA 3G network, but that hasn’t stopped the carrier from attracting customers to the device. In fact, China Mobile added 5 million new iPhone users in just four months, and it now serves a total of 9.5 million iPhone users, Bloomberg said. Each of those customers can use text, voice and 2G data, and all of the iPhone models it sells are unsubsidized. That may sound like a turnoff, but China Mobile has increased its iPhone user base by building out a nationwide Wi-Fi network to make up for its 3G shortcomings, and the carrier is also offering rebates worth as much as $440. The carrier plans to add an additional 1 million hotspots throughout China during the next three years, too. China Unicom has been an exclusive iPhone partner in China since 2005 and while it has less 3G subscribers than China Mobile, it is able to offer a 3G-capable iPhone because it operates a WCDMA 3G network. 

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China Telecom will offer the iPhone to its 106 million subscribers this year, Reuters reported on Wednesday. China Unicom has been the exclusive iPhone seller in the country since 2009, but China Telecom will introduce an iPhone model on its CDMA network in November according to the report. The launch date implies that the carrier will carry Apple’s next-generation iPhone 5, which is rumored to be thinner and lighter than the current model. China Mobile, the third of China’s big three wireless carriers, is also expected to introduce the iPhone 5 in September.

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Images of what could be a next generation iPhone headed to China Mobile have been re-published by Sohu.com. Is it the real deal? It might be. For one, it runs an unannounced baseband software (version 06.10.01), which could hint that Apple’s prepping support for China Mobile’s 3G TD-SCDMA network. Also, in June, a China Mobile employee said that the iPhone 5 would be arriving in September, and there have been reports of Apple’s COO Tim Cook sitting in meetings with China Mobile execs, which suggests that there’s definitely some relationship building going on.

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A China Mobile employee allegedly revealed that the popular Chinese carrier will launch Apple’s fifth-generation iPhone this coming September, Ticonderoga Securities analyst Brian White wrote in a note to investors on Thursday. The news jibes with multiple earlier reports that Apple’s iPhone 5 is set to launch this September, though it may launch even sooner in the U.S. and other key markets. The news was first relayed by Chinese language website Bianews.com, which reported on Thursday that a China Mobile employee wrote that the carrier would launch the iPhone 5 in September in a post on Weibo.com, a micro-blogging service similar to Twitter. The post was subsequently deleted. Apple COO Tim Cook was recently seen attending meetings with China Mobile executives, and the tech giant’s next-generation iPhone could very well have been the topic of their conversations.

Apple has surpassed Google as world’s most valuable brand, according to advertising firm WPP’s “BrandZ Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands” study. Apple’s brand value has ballooned 859% since 2006, and increased 84% to $153.3 billion this year. Tech companies dominate the rankings: AT&T, China Mobile, IBM, and Microsoft all have spots in the top-10 most valuable brands list, and McDonald’s is the only non-tech brand in the top-5. Google had reigned supreme for the past four years before being displaced by Apple, and Amazon surpassed Walmart to become the No. 1 retailer. Hit the jump for the full report from WPP.

Apple becomes world’s most valuable brand, says WPP’s BrandZ

9 May, 2011
Emerging markets account for 19 of the top 100 brands according to WPP company Millward Brown Optimor in its 2011 study of the Most Valuable Global Brands

NEW YORK – Registering a staggering 84 percent increase in value over the past year, Apple has emerged as the most valuable brand in the world, ending the four-year reign of Google at the top of the table in the sixth annual BrandZ Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands study.
The Apple brand, as calculated by Millward Brown Optimor, a WPP company, has increased in value by 859 percent since 2006 and now stands at $153.3 billion. Other key findings in the study are that during the economic recovery of the last year, the combined value of all the brands in the top 100 has risen by 17 percent and is now worth $2.4 trillion. In terms of geography, according to the 2011 BrandZ study, 19 of the Top 100 brands now originate in “BRICs” markets, versus only two in 2006.

“The importance of brand for global business success is becoming increasingly significant,” said David Roth at WPP. “In the last year, the global economy shifted from recovery to real growth, the combined value of all brands in the Top 100 ranking has risen by 64 percent since 2006 and is now worth $2.4 trillion. Strong brands, while not immune to the vicissitudes of the market, are more protected, prepared, resourceful and resilient.”

The BrandZ Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands study, commissioned by WPP and conducted by Millward Brown Optimor, identifies and ranks the world’s most valuable 100 brands by their dollar value, an analysis based on financial data combined with consumer measures of brand equity.

The Most Valuable Global Brands 2011

Rank	Brand	Value in $ million	Brand value change from 2010
1	Apple	153,285	+ 84%
2	Google	111,498	- 2%
3	IBM	100,849	+ 17%
4	McDonald’s*	81,016	+ 23%
5	Microsoft	78,243	+2 %
6	Coca-Cola	73,752	+8 %
7	at&t	69,916	-
8	Marlboro	67,522	+18 %
9	China Mobile	57,326	+9 %
10	GE	50,318	+12 %

_{*The Brand Value of Coca-Cola includes Lites, Diets and Zero}

“Our brand valuations are a powerful measure of an organization’s ability to create real and lasting value for shareholders.” said Eileen Campbell, CEO of brand research company Millward Brown. “By nurturing its brand and constantly innovating, Apple is able to command a high price premium and weather economic turbulence, providing a global business success story that other brands can learn from.”

“Business leaders can embrace brand management as a critical competency for building long-term financial value,” she added. “Compared with an overall improvement of 13 percent in the world’s equity markets during 2010, the best brands grew their value 30 percent faster.
Other key findings highlighted in this year’s research report include:

• One in five brands is from the BRICs: This year, 19 brands come from emerging markets compared to two in 2006 and 13 in 2010. The growing presence of brands from BRICs in this global ranking highlights the expanding purchasing power of people in these countries. While many of these brands are buoyed by the size of their local customer base, many more now have international ambition including Petrobras in Brazil (No. 61 in the ranking with a brand value of $13.4 billion); ICICI Bank in India (No. 53 and worth $14.9 billion) and China’s largest search engine Baidu. Now listed on the NASDAQ index, Baidu has a brand value of $22.5 billion and moves up 46 places in the ranking to number 29. Despite these successes, consumers in the BRIC regions continue to favor Western brands. Louis Vuitton, for example, (for which Brazil is its second-largest market) benefited from the new energy and confidence in the BRICs region. Its 23 percent growth in brand value to $24.3 billion has helped this luxury retailer achieve 26th place in the ranking, a three-spot increase from 2010.

• Heritage brands stay relevant in a technology age: Coca-Cola (No. 6), GE (No. 10), IBM (No. 3) and McDonald’s (No. 4), stand out in this study of global brand strength as brands that have survived for more than 50 years. Leadership, strategy and tactics aside, what all of these companies have in common is their use of brand to remain relevant to consumers and drive global business success.

• Technology and telecom brands dominate the ranking: Technology brands, which make up one-third of the Top 100 brands, continue to demonstrate their relevance in our daily lives. While Apple leads the ranking, it is followed in second place by Google, with a brand value of $111.5 billion, and IBM in third place with a brand value of $100.9 billion. Facebook makes its debut in the Top 100 ranking this year at No. 35 with the highest increase in brand value, 246 percent, making the brand worth $19.1 billion. Online retailer Amazon also edged past Walmart to become the No. 1 retail brand and 14th overall, with a 37 percent rise in brand value to $37.6 billion.

• Fast food, luxury and technology brands led brand value appreciation: Each of the 13 market sectors covered in this study grew in value over the last year. Fast food led the sector growth (22 percent) followed by luxury (19 percent) and technology (18 percent). The oil and gas sector experienced the slowest rate of growth (1 percent).

• Tech and convergence create brand interdependencies: Brands are ever more dependent on their use of technology to win consumers’ hearts and minds. The brand values of Burberry, Chanel, Louis Vuitton and Coca-Cola all benefited from their use of technology for example by harnessing social media and apps. At the same time, the dependencies demonstrated in the physical world between applications, devices and operating platforms are creating similar branded interdependencies. Brands that are aware of the risks can leverage these associations to drive value and growth.

• Toyota reclaims position as most valuable car brand demonstrating the power of strong brands to recover from the most fundamental challenges to product efficacy and reputation. Toyota’s brand, which is rated by consumers as “great value,” rose 11 percent to $24.1 billion.

The BrandZ Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands study is the only valuation in the world that takes into account what people think about the brands they buy alongside rigorous analysis of financial data, market valuations, analyst reports and risk profiles. The research report, which is available online, includes a ranking and analysis of the Top 10 most valuable brands for key regions of the world and 13 market sectors. Download the complete BrandZ ranking, including regional and category breakdowns. The rankings and a great deal more are also available as a free application for the iPhone, iPad, Nokia, BlackBerry and Android from www.brandz.com/mobile

LG’s about to get its MeeGo on. Next month, the Korean phone manufacturer is set to debut a prototype device during the MeeGo Conference in San Francisco from May 23rd to May 25th. Details leaked by MeeGo Experts have revealed that LG has a special session up its sleeves during which it plans to show off “multiple” LG branded devices running the OS created by Intel and Nokia. LG will also discuss its future plans for the platform, including its developments for MeeGo powered tablets, smartphones, and in-car entertainment systems. We wouldn’t be surprised to see this leak pan out, given that Nokia has decided to focus its efforts on Windows Phone devices, and that LG, ZTE, and China Mobile have all recently decided to work towards creating MeeGo smartphones.

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No one likes letting a perfectly good operating system go to waste. Reuters is reporting that just as Nokia begins to divest in the MeeGo operating system, other companies are starting to dig in. The publication writes that electronics giant LG has joined the likes of ZTE and China Mobile in a “working group” that aims to develop a MeeGo-based smartphone. “It [Nokia's absence] is opening opportunities for the others to come in,” said a member of MeeGo’s steering committee. “Discussions are taking place. You’ll see things coming out this year, pretty soon.” The fate of the open-source operating system has been in question since Nokia announced it would focus the lion’s share of its development dollars and efforts on Microsoft’s Windows Phone platform. It is, however, nice to see that an OS with such great potential will not be put out to pasture just yet.

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Speaking at the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference today, China Mobile’s Chairman, Wang Jianzhou, let go an interesting tidbit of Apple information. “Jobs has expressed his interest in an LTE iPhone and is willing to start the development at an early date,” said the Chairman. China Mobile currently runs a TD-LTE network in mainland China, but the invisible line we’re drawing from the words “LTE iPhone” leads directly to *drumroll* Verizon Wireless and AT&T. Apple has, historically, been slow to adopt new cellular radios into its flagship product — we’re referencing, of course, how long it took for 3G to make its way into the iPhone. We’re sure as June draws nearer, we’ll get a better idea of what Apple has up its sleeve for its next phone.

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Motorola potentially has not one, not two, but count em’ three China-bound handsets up its sleeve. First and foremost, we have the initial details on the Motorola XT711, codenamed the Sholes Tablet Refresh — the presumed companion to the previously released, Korea-bound Motorola XT701 Motoroi. The XT711 will feature: an 8 megapixel auto-focus camera with Xenon Flash, 720P HD video capture and playback, HDMI out, Google apps and Android marketplace, MotoBlur UI, WebKit browser with Flash integration, and the Android OS (presumably 2.1 or greater). The targeted market for this little beauty is China, and is set to launch at an undisclosed point in the future. One down, two to go. Hit the jump for details on the XT810 and the XT820.

Second, and most mysterious, is the Ming-like clamshell that made its first appearance in a handful of blurry images last week. Though details are still sparse, the handset may be the MT810, a TD-SCDMA handset headed to China Mobile. The MT810 may also be the little brother to the MT820, another Ming-like offering whose hardware is revealed in stunning clarity.

The MT820 appears to be a very polished handset with a Ming-style transparent flip that is rumored to sport a visual 3-D capability as detailed in a recent patent application. On a more realistic note, and out of the sci-fi realm, the transparent flip may also be present for protection, or as a secondary touchscreen in a dual-touchscreen design. What we can infer from the leaked images is that the handset is destined for China Mobile and, as a result, will rock TD-SCDMA 3G connectivity. The MT820 is expected to be announced in the very near future and will run the Android-based Ophone 2.0 platform. Don’t swear-off your DROID, BACKFLIP, or CLIQ XT quite yet..this piece of mobile hardware, showcased in the images below, is also expected to stay exclusively in China.

Thanks, Antony!

[via Soyuu.com , Android and Me, and SlashPhone]

Read (Motorola MT820)

Read (Motorola MT810 and XT711)

Thanks to a China Mobile press release, the details that we leaked back in August about Dell’s Android-powered Mini 3i are now confirmed. According to both sources, the Mini 3i will pack a 3.5” nHD (640×360) display, Quadband GSM/EDGE, 3 megapixel camera with zoom, auto-focus, flash, and video capture, Bluetooth, GPS navigation, and microSD expansion (up to 32GB). Dell’s first serious smartphone venture will be available to China Mobile’s 500 million strong subscriber base in “Red Passion” and “Oiled Bronze” variants later this month. Full press release after the break.

China Mobile Becomes First to Sell Dell Mini 3i Smart Phones

The Mini 3i, in Red Passion and Oiled Bronze colors, will begin arriving across China later this month

China Mobile, the world’s largest mobile operator, serves more than 500 million subscribers

China Mobile will soon become the first mobile operator to sell the Mini 3i, a sleek and slim new multi-touch smart phone from Dell designed to leverage the power, flexibility and applications of China Mobile’s new OPhone and Mobile Market platforms. Available in Red Passion and Oiled Bronze colors, the Mini 3i will begin arriving through China Mobile’s nation-wide channels (its authorized stores) by the end of this month and Dell direct to follow.

The Mini 3i runs China Mobile’s flexible OPhone open source platform, and includes the latest in popular entertainment including pre-loaded 139Mail e-mail, Fetion chat and digital maps for navigation. A large 3.5-inch widescreen creates a big-screen experience, making photos and videos bigger and more intense. The Mini 3i is also compatible with a range of consumer applications, e-mail platforms, and office productivity software.

“People today want to carry their lives with them – they want to discover, capture and share new content as they roam around the world,” said Michael Yang, vice president and general manager for Greater China Consumer of Dell. “We believe Dell’s year-long development collaboration with China Mobile will amplify those experiences better than anyone else in the industry.”

“This signals an important milestone in the long term partnership between China Mobile and Dell,” said a China Mobile spokesperson. “We are excited for Dell to be among the first manufacturers to introduce new technology based on the OPhone platform. We look forward to working with Dell as it brings innovative new products and services to add value to our customers’ lives.”

The Mini 3i is the result of a year-long collaboration with China Mobile and further illustrates Dell’s ongoing investment in smarter and more mobile products. China Mobile, the world’s largest mobile service provider with more than 500 million subscribers, teamed with Dell earlier this year to develop a new product for the rapidly growing base of mobile broadband users in China, embedding 3G technology in the Dell Mini 10 netbook.

With the recent launch of the OPhone platform, industry analysts are estimating that the current base of 180 million mobile broadband users in China will continue to grow at a rapid pace. The Mini 3i is specifically engineered to give those customers a smart phone that delivers fast, easy and fun access to the internet, e-mail, chat, music and video.

Popular Mini 3i Features:

• Entertainment: Access to China Mobile’s Mobile Market suite of services, games, productivity tools, wallpapers, ringtones and applications. Discover China’s popular Internet sites including 51.com, Kaixin and Renren.
• Customization: Personalize MP3 ring tones, icons and shortcuts. Run widgets on the home screen: sports, stocks, news and weather tickers.
• Navigation: GPS navigation.
• Search: Search contacts, appointments and e-mail from the home screen.
• Camera: 3 megapixel camera with zoom, auto-focus, flash, video capture and photo-editing capabilities.
• A 3.5 inch, widescreen (16:9), 640 x 360 display that’s ideal for viewing photos and videos.
• Popular Messaging: Support for the wide range of messaging platforms and services, including e-mail, IM, MMS and SMS.

Dell Mini 3i OPhone Specifications:

Form Factor: Tablet/PDA
Dimensions: 58.35 x 122 x 11.7
Display: 3.5” nHD, 640×360
Bands/Modes: Quadband GSM/EDGE
Weight: <105g (grams)
Bluetooth
GPS
Micro SD (up to 32GB)
Connector: Mini USB

Damn are our ninjas good. Dell’s Android-based China Mobile-bound Mini 3i, a smartphone that we first caught a glimpse of in mid-June, is now official. Unveiled today in Beijing, the Mini 3i (also apparently MINI3i) is an Android-based smartphone that runs on the Open Mobile System. Spec wise, the Mini 3i is not particularly impressive especially considering that it is EDGE-only and lacks Wi-Fi. Regardless, the handset is definitely a contender in the Chinese market where not even the carrier-pwner that is Apple can manage to release a Wi-Fi-enabled handset. Here’s the low-down on the specs:

• Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE class 12
• Size: 68.6cc
• 103g grams weight
• Dimensions: 58 x 122 x 11.7mm
• Display: 3.5″ nHD 640×360 LCD, 18-bit, 262K colors
• OTA capable
• Microsoft Exchange support
• Google, AIM, Yahoo and MSN IM support
• 3 megapixel auto-focus, flash, 8x digital zoom camera with 30fps video shooting mode, built in photo editor
• USB 2.0, Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR
• A-GPS
• On-screen QWERTY keyboard, hardwriting recognition, multi touch UI
• MicroSD slot

Hit the jump for a few more shots.

Thanks to everyone who sent this in!

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Dell smartphone rumors are starting to heat up as new info firms up the possibility that Dell is getting ready to announce its smarthphone to the Chinese market via China Mobile. The purported phone will be called the mini 3i and will be part of the Android-driven Ophone Open Mobile Systems (OMS) platform. The Dell mini 3i is expected to be released later this month along with two other Ophones, the Lenovo O1 and the Dopod A6188. In a bit of a twist, the Lenovo O1 is expected to be the only OMS phone to be 3G-capable, sporting support for the newer TD-SCDMA network. The Dell and Dopod offerings will reportedly only support the older 2G GSM network. The veracity of this information is questionable, completely unverified and may be another one of those wild Chinese rumors but the source is pretty reputable so hopefully we’ll hear something official this week.

[Via TechCrunch]

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No seriously. What would you say if we told you that Lenovo is currently in the testing phase with an Android-powered handset that makes HTC’s G1 look like a first-year design student’s mid-term project? You’re looking at the first available live image of Lenovo’s upcoming Android offering for China Mobile. Codenamed OPhone, Lenovo’s sexy handset will be among the first to be based on China’s Mobile’s Open Mobile System (OMS) – meaning it will run Android and and support TD SCDMA, China Mobile’s 3G standard. The unfortunate end of the story is inevitable however; we shouldn’t expect to see Lenovo bring what looks to be one of the sexiest handsets of 2009 to the US… Ever. A shame indeed, but it looks like our friends in China will be able to get their hands on this one pretty soon. We’re sure they’ll be happy to show us what we’re missing once it’s released.

Thanks, neerhaj!

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