Apple China Mobile launch could spark costly subsidy war

BIG EVENT: Cook (right) and China Mobile chairman Xi Guohua (left) with iPhones posing with a customer at an event celebrating the launch of Apple's iPhone on China Mobile's network at a China Mobile shop in Beijing. — Reuters

BEIJING: Apple Inc has finally launched its iPhone on China Mobile Ltd's vast network, opening the door to the world's largest carrier's 763 million subscribers and giving its China sales a short-term jolt. 

Underlining how much the launch means for Apple, chief executive Tim Cook was on hand as the carrier's flagship store opened in Beijing's financial district. With China Mobile chairman Xi Guohua alongside, Cook gifted signed iPhones to a handful of customers and posed for pictures.