Long-running negotiations over a possible alliance between Apple Inc and China Mobile Ltd, the nation's biggest telecom carrier, are testing consumers' patience.

The carrier poured cold water on would-be iPhone shoppers on Wednesday, saying that it's still in talks with Apple.

"China Mobile has yet to reach an agreement with Apple, but good news deserves to be waited for, and we expect to release cooperation information soon," Xi Guohua, chairman of China Mobile, said at the China Mobile Global Partner Conference 2013 in Guangzhou.