If Apple launches the “iPhone 5C” in China at a $400 price point, and if they close the deal with China Mobile for a TDD-LTE version of the handset, Apple’s market share in China could jump by 19.3%, enough to make Apple the number one phone maker in China.
The prediction, reported in Fortune, was made by Morgan Stanley’s Katy Huberty on the back of an AlphaWise survey of 2,000 mobile phone owners in China.
Huberty’s note to her clients suggested that the expected price level of the iPhone 5C would be acceptable to Chinese consumers, and that if Apple made a TDD-LTE version, which would be compatible with China Mobile’s 4G network, its appeal would be boosted among Chinese consumers.
Huberty states that Chinese consumers consider $486 USD (RMB 4,000) to be an acceptable price range for the 5C. That price is 22% higher than Morgan Stanley believes Apple will price the device at. For comparison, acceptable pricing for the Samsung S4 Mini and HTC One Mini came in lower than the expected price.
Huberty, (logically enough), sees a partnership with China Mobile increasing Apple’s smartphone share in China. Her predicted gains are: 13.3% from the 5C launch, and a further 6% from TDD-LTE compatibility.
All together, these factors could make the iPhone the best-selling smartphone in China, pushing it ahead of rival, and current leader, Samsung.
