Initial IPhone Orders Through China Mobile Underwhelming

China Mobile not getting the same response as other carriers

Initial pre-orders of Apple (AAPL) iPhones on China Mobile (CHL) appear underwhelming, according to one report out Monday.

Apple investors cheered the company's long-awaited distribution deal with China Mobile, the world's largest wireless carrier, after it was announced Dec. 22. But early reports show China Mobile iPhone orders lagging what other carriers experienced when they began selling Apple's latest smartphone, Wedge Partners analyst Jun Zhang said.

"We think China Mobile's pre-orders for Apple's iPhone 5S/5C reached about 100K (with contract) in the first two days since pre-orders started, compared with 120K pre-orders from China Unicom (CHU) and 150K pre-orders from China Telecom (CHA) back in September," he wrote. "Unlocked iPhone 5S pre-orders added another 150K in the first day, compared to 400-500K pre-orders when the unlocked iPhone 5S initially launched in China in September."