Apple Readies IPhone For China Launch
IPhone's Been A Long Time Comin' In China. Some Consumers Couldn't Wait
Even as Apple (AAPL) gears up to officially launch the iPhone in China, as many as 1.5 million consumers in China have already managed to get their hands on one through various unofficial channels. Below, the main methods for buying an iPhone (or something resembling one) in China now.
Gray Market
A Beijing Internet company employee - who asks that only his surname, Shang, be used - bought his first-generation iPhone at mobile-phone market in the capital's famed Zhongguancun electronics shopping district, just a few months after its June 2007 release in the U.S. He paid 5,500 yuan, or about $800, for the privilege of being one of China's earliest iPhone adopters.
'I was very much interested in its large touch-screen design. At the same time, it also serves as a multimedia player and game machine. I was attracted by all these functions,' he says. An Apple lover, Shang counts many of the company's products among his gadgets: MacBook Pro, Mac Mini, iPod Classic and iPod Nano.
Shang divides iPhone users into two groups: Those simply fascinated by its unique design; and those with a thorough understanding of Apple products and the Mac operating system. 'I purchase applications in App Store and download the de-coded ones from the Web as well,' Shang says. 'I also use Mobile Me service, which is a good combination with iPhone.'
Still, he points out a few problems using his iPhone. 'For instance, the input method is not good and convenient enough' for writing Chinese characters. 'It's not easy to forward messages. When trying to open a couple of Web pages at the same time, the browser might refuse to work.'
'But still, I think it's already the best high-end phone, even with these many problems,' he says.
Jessica Wu, a 26-year-old trading company employee in Nanjing, bought her 8-gigabyte iPhone for about $670 at a mobile phone market in Feb. 2008. Her unit is 'jailbroken,' which allows her to download applications from Apple's App Store. One problem with her phone is that every time she upgrades the software, she has to jailbreak it again. 'Original iPhones can be upgraded directly through iTunes, which is more convenient.'
But it's a small price to pay, she says. 'To some extent, iphone and other Apple products are considered a status symbol.'
Buying Outside China
Zhang May, a 28-year-old from Shanghai asked a friend to buy her an iPhone in the U.S. two years ago. She paid $399. 'I chose iPhone because of its good brand, good quality and good function,' she said. Zhang says she's had no major problems using her jailbroken iPhone in China.
Hong Kong a self-run Chinese city where the iPhone is already officially sold has been a popular place to pick up a legally unlocked iPhones without a SIM card or any type of commitment to a local cellular plan. Mainland Chinese residents can visit the city easier these days than in the past, and those who have access to a Hong Kong mailing address can also make purchases via Hong Kong's online Apple Store. Current prices range from HK$4,488 to HK$6,288, or about $580 to $810.
The Shanzhai Route
Those with less money can hope that the iPhone's official launch in China will bring lower prices. Or, as many in China have done already, they may just seek to satisfy their yearning for the iPhone look from one of the numerous shanzhai versions for sale in China's mobile phone markets, often alongside the real (gray market) iPhones. Often-seen copycats include the 'HiPhone' the 'iPhone Mini' and the 'iOrgane.'