Apple starts selling Brazilian-made iPhone 4s
updated 05:00 pm EST, Fri February 24, 2012
High pricing still unchanged
Apple has begun selling Brazilian-made 8GB iPhone 4s in that country, reports say. Previously all iPhone 4 models were made in China, but units are now rolling off of Foxconn's Brazilian assembly lines. The switchover is actually believed to have happened several weeks ago, but gone largely unnoticed. At Apple's regional online store, the Brazilian-made black and white models are listed as MD128BR/A and MD198BR/A, respectively. Earlier Chinese-made equivalents for the area bore MD128BZ/A and MD198BZ/A identifiers.
Still unexplained is why the iPhone 4 continues to cost the equivalent of $1,050 in Brazil. Domestic production should in theory exempt the device from import taxes, usually blamed for the high cost of electronics in the nation. What factors might be affecting prices are unknown.
Two other iPhones, the 3GS and the 4S, are likely still being manufactured only in China, as they continue to use "BZ" model names. This may potentially explain the pricing of the iPhone 4, as adjusting its cost alone would skew sales away from other products.
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Aug 2001
Pluralization
I realize it's lower case, but talking about "iPhone 4s" is kind of confusing given the 4S.
"iPhones 4," maybe? Weird, but kinda stylish.