Apple has officially started selling its well known smartphone in China which is the world’s largest cell phone market. Apple launched the phone in China on Friday night.
The launch in China didn’t see the frenzy of the first iPhone launch day like in the U.S. However, crowds there did line up for the iPhone several hours before the launch at several outlets. Several hundred people lined up in the rain and cold outside The Place shopping center in Beijing, for example. There, Zhi Xianzhong became the first person to get the iPhone from Apple partner China Unicom after waiting 7 hours and 40 minutes, as reported by China Daily.
China Unicom, China’s second largest network operator after China Mobile, is selling two versions of the iPhone in China under a three-year agreement with Apple. However, the costs are unexpectedly high. Prices range from 4,999 yuan (about $732) for the 8GB 3G model to 6,999 yuan (about $1,025) for the 32GB 3GS phone (with no contract).
In China, one can purchase cheaper, cracked, gray-market iPhone models at local electronics shops or bring them from abroad. However, cost isn’t the only potential issue here. To adhere to Chinese government regulations, the handsets also lack a key feature–Wi-Fi capability.However, China Unicom hopes to make Wi-Fi-enabled iPhones available within the next few months.
China Unicom is currently selling the iPhone in 285 cities in China. It expects to sell more than 5 million iPhones in the next three years, according to Chinese news reports, however the company has not released any statements about its sales aims and expectations.