Negotiations between Apple and China Mobile to offer the iPhone in China have failed, according to a new report. The Southern Daily newspaper, citing unnamed sources, reports that the two parties failed to reach an agreement due to differences over revenue sharing.
China Mobile CEO Wang Jianzhou had previously said that the company was in talks to offer the iPhone in China, while warning that he disliked the revenue-sharing model Apple had used elsewhere. The report states that Apple now plans to open stores in Beijing next summer to sell iPhones directly, and is talks with other Chinese mobile phone distributors.
Among those possible partners, China Unicom has expressed interest in carrying the device.
Update: Bloomberg reports that China Mobile has said it is still in discussions to offer the iPhone, denying that talks between the two companies have ended.
