It is beginning to look like the Chinese government is more powerful than Apple, and when the iPhone makes its debut in China it will do so without the Wi-Fi that we all love.

Apple has been in protracted negotiations with the Chinese Ministry of Industry, aimed at receiving permission to sell a Wi-Fi enabled smartphone in the Chinese marketplace. The latest report from media sources is that Chinese officials have won that argument and that the iPhone, when introduced in their country, will not have Wi-Fi, which may be a significant blow to the iPhone in that market. The negotiations have apparently been very intense, with neither side willing to move on the Wi-Fi issue.

Of course, approval from governments has has not been much of a barrier to iPhone sales in most countries. The ease with which the iPhone can be unlocked and mated to the telephone network of your choice has meant that the phone has become very popular in markets in which is is supposedly not allowed at all. This particular set of negotiations may well lead to a similar situation in China, if only to avoid the long wait for approval. Industry insiders estimate that the approval process may well take an additional four to six months, meaning that the iPhone may not be officially introduced there until January of 2010, according to a CNET article. That is a long time to wait for an iPhone without Wi-Fi when a Chinese user can buy an unlocked unit with Wi-Fi enabled today on the unofficial market.

Many iPhone applications in the United States require Wi-Fi to work. If those applications are officially unavailable in China, it will be interesting to see how much that detracts from the appeal of the iPhone there. The Wi-Fi issue is generally seen to be tied into the overall issue of internet control, held to be so important by the Chinese government. They have softened on the official internet filters they were requiring on computers imported to the country, so it is a little puzzling why they are being so adamant about keeping the iPhone Wi-Fi-free.

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Entry was posted on Monday, July 13th, 2009 at 4:12 pm under International, Internet, iPhone.  Print This Post

Read more entries by Michael W. Jones.
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