Apple and China Mobile have announced a long-anticipated agreement to bring the iPhone to the world's biggest phone company. The deal is expected to help to boost iPhone sales in a market where Apple faces intense competition.

Apple now has links with all three of China’s biggest mobile powers. 5S and 5C iPhones sold via China Mobile will be available in stores on January 17th, but the pricing or terms of the agreement haven’t been announced yet.

The iPhone once was so popular with Chinese gadget fans that eager buyers in Beijing waited overnight in freezing weather for the 4S model. But that excitement faded this September when the 5S was released. Customers said it offered too few improvements.

"There’s not such a big difference with the iPhone 5S as there was from iPhone 3 to iPhone 4. I don’t see any changes in its appearance. They all look the same." Beijing resident Yan Yuyang said.

According to some analysis, Apple’s share of China’s smartphone sales declined to 6.2 percent in the third quarter of this year, down from 7.9 percent a year earlier.

This is in great part due to the availability of cheaper smartphones, such as those running Google’s Android software. Collectively, Android phones far outsell Apple’s iPhone.

"They signed a cooperation deal, but I don’t like iPhone’s system. I prefer Android, because I’ve become used to it." Beijing resident Qu Yanli said.

The deal comes a month before China’s Lunar New Year holiday in late January, a traditionally big gift-buying season.

Forecasts of possible increased iPhone sales under a deal with China Mobile vary widely, from 10 million to 40 million. A key issue is whether it will lead to additional sales or only prompt existing users to switch to China Mobile.

Some analysts say Apple needed the agreement more than China Mobile, which has more than 750 million mobile accounts.

Apple already has agreements with China Telecom and China Unicom, which have about 455 million mobile accounts.

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