Skip to main content

Mac > News

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 iPhone gets slow start at China sales launch

China Unicom and Apple host a launch event in Beijing

Owen Fletcher

  • Email to a friend
  • Print this article
  • Bookmark this page
  • RSS feed

The iPhone appeared to get a slow start in China on Friday night as China Unicom and Apple held a launch event largely free of the buzz and long buyer lines that have accompanied launches of the handset elsewhere.

Smog hung in the Beijing air as buyers filled about two-thirds of an outdoor sales queue set up at a shopping mall. Beijing's first rain in weeks fell on an overhead canopy during the event.

"It's because of the rain, the temperature really is a little low today," said Li Yi, a 27-year-old man waiting in line to buy an iPhone 3GS, when asked about the low attendance.

High prices may also have kept away buyers. Chinese shoppers can find cracked gray-market iPhones for around 4,000 yuan ($587) at many local electronics markets, while the cheapest iPhone being sold by China Unicom costs 4,999 yuan with no service contract.

China Unicom is selling the 32GB iPhone 3GS with no contract for the equivalent of $1,026, compared to about $800 in nearby Hong Kong.

Apple removed Wi-Fi from the iPhone for China to comply with the country's regulatory demands, another strike against the phone compared to gray-market versions.

"It's unfair that the phone has no Wi-Fi," said a 30-year-old male surnamed Fan as he looked at an iPhone in the Beijing Apple Store, where sales also launched Friday night.

China Unicom has said any handset that supports its 3G mobile standard will be able to use its network, so gray-market iPhone users will be able to buy service contracts just like users of the official handset.

A China Unicom representative declined to say how many buyers had reserved iPhones, which could be picked up at the launch event. The carrier was selling the 8GB iPhone 3G and the 16GB and 32GB versions of the iPhone 3GS.

The main appeal of an official handset is that it is uncracked and can download iPhone updates as they come out, said Liu Xinran, a 30-year-old female employee at a local movie studio, as she waited in line to buy a 32GB iPhone 3GS.

"I couldn't use my old iPhone 3G anymore because of a software upgrade," said Liu, adding that she had trouble accessing the App Store. "I have little choice but to buy an official one." Liu showed off a Nokia E71 she was using in the meantime as she spoke.

Apple's deal with China Unicom is non-exclusive and China Mobile, another local carrier, has said it is in ongoing talks with Apple about offering the iPhone.

"Ever since we first launched the iPhone, we greatly anticipated bringing it to China," said Greg Joswiak , Apple's vice president of iPod and iPhone marketing, in a speech at the launch. "We plan on actively marketing the iPhone here," he said before a large screen played an iPhone commercial that will air in China.

Check out our new Macworld Mobile site.

Follow Macworld UK on twitter: www.twitter.com/macworlduk

Email A Friend

Email this article to a friend or colleague:



PLEASE NOTE: Your name is used only to let the recipient know who sent the story, and in case of transmission error. Both your name and the recipient's name and address will not be used for any other purpose.

<<prev article | back to news index | next article>>

Question of the day!

Mark Hattersley
Editor in Chief

Do you share your creations online?

Question of the day!

Do you share your creations online?

% of Macworld readers agree with you

Yes
TBC
No
TBC

What do you create and how do you share it?

124 characters remaining

Follow the conversation at @TabletChat

paintings & illustrations, mostly, which i upload to flickr.RT @fragmentedm

I draw manga/anime characters. I also do graphic design and photography.RT @spialelo

Yes. I usually put them up on my #deviantart account for feedback on how to improve.RT @spialelo

Comments received


David said on Fri, 30 Oct 2009

Hardly surprising really is it, you can get a fully feautured one from Hong Kong for less than the cut down version for more. One of those no shit sherlock moments.

Rich said on Sat, 31 Oct 2009

You can get a better featured clone for lots cheaper. Not like they are gonna see many apps.

John said on Tue, 03 Nov 2009

People who buys clone iphone would never buy the real iphone as they dont care for the app. The software is what set the iphone aside from clones and other so call iphone killers. So Apple is not losing any sales unlike other manufacturers from clones. It is funny how the clones are usually better then the original phones of other well known brand. Apple has hedge the China market by selling unlock phones in Hong Kong. If Apple ever release the Hong Kong Apple store data, I would not be surprise that more iphone has been sold then people in HK. These phones seems to show up in a lot of Asian countries.

Disclaimer
Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Macworld. Macworld accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content.
Click here to read the house rules.

Click here for the latest reader comments

Latest News


More news...