While China Mobile’s more than 760m subscribers have finally received confirmation that the iPhone 5s and 5c will soon be sold by the world’s biggest mobile operator, they have yet to find out one key detail: the price.
中国移动(China Mobile)超过7.6亿名用户终于得到证实：这家世界最大的移动通信运营商将很快开售iPhone 5s和5c。但他们尚不清楚一个关键问题：价格。
That number will not just be of interest to Apple enthusiasts in China. It will also reveal which of the two companies secured a better bargain after months-long negotiations leading up to the deal announced on Sunday night.
那个数字将不只是中国的“果粉”关心的事情。它还将向我们揭示，在周日晚间协议宣布之前历时数月的谈判中，究竟哪一方占到了便宜。
Operators such as China Mobile traditionally agree to subsidise part of the cost of popular handsets, but some are now trying to end that practice.
中国移动等运营商以往通常会同意补贴畅销机型的部分购机费用，但一些运营商眼下已开始尝试终结这种局面。
T-Mobile USA recently began replacing smartphones subsidies with mobile device financing plans, while Randall Stephenson, chief executive of AT&T, said that as smartphones become ubiquitous in more mature markets such as the US, “the model has to change. You can’t afford to subsidise devices like that”.
T-Mobile USA近期开始用移动设备融资方案取代智能手机补贴计划，而AT&T首席执行官兰德尔•斯蒂芬森(Randall Stephenson)表示，由于智能手机在美国等较为成熟的市场已普及，“这种模式必须改变，因为我们无力像这样继续补贴设备”。
But in China, where smartphone penetration remains lower, analysts see China Mobile’s iPhone subsidy as a battle of wills.
但分析人士认为，在智能手机普及率仍然较低的中国，中国移动的iPhone补贴是一场意志的较量。
“China Mobile feels that the entire universe should kneel before them given their scale and I don’t think that’s an unwarranted view,” said one investment bank analyst.
一名投行分析师说：“中国移动认为，凭自己的庞大规模，整个世界都应该对自己俯首称臣。我觉得这种看法也不无道理。”
“It’s just that Apple sees a potentially devastating domino effect if they cut a generous deal with China Mobile that SK Telecom wants and then Verizon and other operators too.”
他接着说：“只是苹果(Apple)认为，如果它在与中国移动的交易中慷慨让步，可能会产生极具破坏性的多米诺骨牌效应，使得SK电讯(SK Telecom)和Verizon等其他运营商也纷纷要求获得同样的待遇。”
Some analysts warn that its push into 4G services and phones could cost China Mobile, which already has said it will spend more on subsidies next year than the Rmb27bn ($4.5bn) it spent this year, despite a slowdown in sales growth of high-end phones.
一些分析人士警告称，进军4G业务和手机可能让中国移动付出高昂成本。中国移动已表示明年的补贴支出将高于今年的270亿元人民币（45亿美元），尽管高端手机销售业绩增长已放缓。
Shares in China Mobile rose 0.8 per cent yesterday in Hong Kong.
在香港上市的中国移动股价昨日上扬0.8%。
Barclays says the company’s “aggressive” plans to build its 4G network and sell compatible handsets including the iPhone, while boosting handset sales, could hurt profitability.
巴克莱(Barclays)表示，中国移动兴建4G网络和销售兼容机型（包括iPhone）的“激进”计划，虽然能提高手机销售业绩，但可能损害其盈利能力。
State-run China Mobile sees the distribution deal with Apple as an important endorsement of the new technological standard, TD-LTE, underpinning its new 4G network. Most international 4G operators use a rival standard, FDD-LTE.
国有的中国移动把与苹果的经销协议视为对TD-LTE新技术标准的重要认可。TD-LTE是中国移动4G新网络的核心，而国际上的4G运营商大部分使用FDD-LTE标准。
“The collaboration between Apple and China Mobile will give a big boost to the development of China’s homegrown 4G/TD-LTE technology,” the Chinese company said.
中国移动表示：“苹果和中国移动的合作将大大促进中国本土4G/TD-LTE技术的发展。”
For Apple, the mere fact that an agreement has been reached will help salvage what had been building up to be an awful year for the California technology company in the world’s largest telecoms market.
今年，在中国这个全球最大的电信市场上，美国加州科技企业苹果经历了糟糕的一年，但仅凭能与中国移动达成协议本身，便有助于挽回这一局面。
In April, Tim Cook, Apple’s chief executive, was forced to apologise for “misunderstandings” after his company was targeted by China’s state broadcaster CCTV for alleged failings related to customer service and communication with domestic media outlets.
今年4月，中国国家电视台中央电视台进行了集中报道，称苹果涉嫌在客户服务和与中国本土媒体沟通方面存在失当，苹果首席执行官蒂姆•库克(Tim Cook)后被迫为一些“误会”道歉。
Apple’s global launch of the 5s and cheaper 5c also appeared to disappoint initially. In addition to the lack of a distribution deal with China Mobile, Apple put a higher than expected Rmb4,488 price tag on the 5c.
苹果的iPhone 5s和廉价版iPhone 5c面向全球的发售最初似乎也令人失望。除了没有与中国移动达成经销协议之外，苹果还将iPhone 5c定价为4488元人民币，高于人们的预期。
That appeared to set the stage for further erosion of Apple’s market position in China, which had been undercut by international rivals including Samsung Electronics and a host of cut-price domestic brands, such as Xiaomi’s popular “Red Rice” handset.
这似乎为苹果的竞争对手进一步蚕食苹果在华市场份额创造了有利条件。苹果的一些国际竞争对手（例如三星电子(Samsung Electronics)）和多家价格低廉的中国本土厂商（如生产热销“红米”手机的小米），已然抢占了苹果的部分市场份额。
“Enormous business gets done with Apple here but it is moving quite quickly into Samsung,” Greg Foran, head of Walmart’s China operations, told reporters last week during a tour of a Sam’s Club retail outlet in Beijing.
上周在参观北京山姆会员店(Sam’s Club)的活动上，沃尔玛(Walmart)中国区总裁高福澜(Greg Foran)对记者表示：“苹果过去在中国业务量巨大，但眼下它市场份额正在快速地流向三星。”
But initial surveys suggest the 5s and 5c devices could be turning the tide back in Apple’s favour.
但最初的调查显示，iPhone 5s和5c可能让形势重新变得有利于苹果。
Counterpoint, a market research firm, estimates Apple’s share of the China smartphone market hit 12 per cent in October, having been stuck below 5 per cent for the previous six months. Three of the top four selling models in October were iPhones.
市场研究公司Counterpoint估计，苹果在中国智能手机市场所占份额在10月份达到了12%，而在此前的6个月里一直不超过5%。10月份最畅销的四款机型中有三款为iPhone。
China Mobile has estimated that more than 45m iPhone users are on its network, but have had to put up with poor performance owing to the device’s incompatibility with the homegrown 3G standard.
据中国移动估计，有逾4500万iPhone用户在使用移动的网络，但因iPhone不兼容中国自主研发的3G标准，这些用户必须忍受糟糕的体验。
China Mobile says the new 5s and 5c iPhones will resolve the compatibility issues. But some potential customers at Apple’s flagship store remained wary yesterday. “I won’t use the 4G iPhone because I’m not sure if the connection will be stable,” said one China Unicom 3G subscriber who gave only his surname, Liu. “I don’t want to be the first one to try it.”
中国移动表示，新的iPhone 5s和5c将解决兼容性问题。但昨天在苹果旗舰店，一些接受采访的潜在顾客仍然对此心存警惕。“我不打算使用4G的iPhone，因为不清楚连接是否稳定，”一位只愿意透露自己姓刘的中国联通(China Unicom) 3G用户表示，“我不想当第一个吃螃蟹的人。”