11/03, 11:10am
Numbers a minute fraction of major launches
China Unicom has only acquired a little over 5,000 iPhone subscribers since officially introducing the device last weekend, according to Reuters. Nearly 300 people attended a Friday launch ceremony at a Unicom store in Beijing, but actual sales have been marginal, paling in comparison to other countries. On the original launch weekend of the iPhone 3GS, Apple sold over 1 million units divided between just eight countries.
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10/30, 10:10am
Event marks culmination of long negotiations
Apple has officially launched the iPhone in China to relatively warm response, at least in Beijing, reports say. The device became available at 6:30PM local time on Friday, first through a China Unicom flagship store after a ceremony attended by Apple VP Greg Joswiak. Although there were no overnight lines as at some launches, just under 300 people are said to waited in front of the store for a chance to buy the product.
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10/26, 5:00pm
May legitimize many Chinese devices
Some users of gray-market iPhones will soon be eligible for an amnesty in China, writes the China Business Times. Official products for the region are set to go on sale later this week, after an unusually long negotiation period with Apple. Prices will be considerably higher than many Chinese are able to afford however, which could lead a number to choose unlocked import phones, which are also frequently less expensive.
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10/14, 3:35pm
Handset to be available at the end of the month
The Chinese cellular carrier China Unicom has finally set an local launch date for the iPhone 3G and 3GS. Customers will be able to purchase Apple's smartphone beginning October 30th. Following the initial launch, the company is expected to expand sales to its online store and Apple's retail locations.
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09/28, 10:05am
Debut scheduled for later this week
Carrier China Unicom has put an end to some earlier rumors, and formally announced details for the launch of the Chinese iPhone. Reuters reports that an unspecified model should cost 5,000 yuan, approximately $732, when sales begin on October 1st. Subsidies between 893 and 4,253 yuan are available for those signing up to a Unicom plan.
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09/25, 8:45am
8GB iPhone to cost $300 up front
The latest report on the Chinese iPhone launch suggests the device will be offered for a meager sum of 126 yuan (~$18.45 USD) per month with the most affordable plan and a two-year service contract, according to the Xinhua News Agency. The information allegedly comes from an unnamed insider at China Unicom.
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09/11, 2:35pm
iPhone in China a "starting gun"
The launch of the iPhone in China could be instrumental to the growth of smartphones in the entire world, according to an estimate by iSuppli. The threat of an officially sanctioned iPhone on China Unicom is believed to be a "starting gun" for China and has already spurred the government-backed carrier China Mobile to introduce its rival Ophone platform, which combines touchscreen phones with a custom Android operating system that shows strong influences from the iPhone. The competition is expected to spike Chinese smartphone sales by 42.5 percent in 2010 to 30.2 million.
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08/31, 11:45am
China iPhone not exclusive
The fresh China Unicom iPhone deal is not an exclusive one, an Apple spokeswoman has confirmed. The deal was cemented only after months of negotiations, and a series of hurdles including revenue sharing demands, and government restrictions on Wi-Fi. Unicom also faced pressure from China Mobile, the country's largest cellphone carrier, which was simultaneously trying to secure a contract.
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08/28, 7:50am
China Unicom iPhone Deal
China Unicom on Friday confirmed in its interim results that it had reached an agreement with Apple to carry the iPhone in China. The news supports word of finished talks and will launch the smartphone sometime in the fall. Most terms aren't available, but China Unicom has said the deal extends for three years and that two models will be involved, at least one of which is likely the 16GB iPhone 3GS.
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08/27, 9:45am
Chinese iPhone on Friday?
The announcement of an China Unicom iPhone deal could arrive as soon as Friday, Reuters claims. The agency cites an anonymous analyst, who in turn claims to have learned the information from a direct industry source. Unicom is holding a financial results presentation on Friday, and a carrier spokeswoman confirms that the iPhone will likely come up as a subject of discussion. She has declined to say, however, whether or not a finalized deal will be disclosed.
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08/14, 12:40pm
Unicom denies iPhone order
China Unicom is again denying reports that it has closed a deal with Apple, according to the Associated Press. "Talks between us and Apple have been going on for some time, but no agreement has been reached yet," says Unicom spokesman Yi Difei. "There are all kinds of possibilities. There is no particular timetable for the talks," he elaborates.
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08/13, 9:45am
China Unicom iPhone order
China Unicom has ordered an extremely large number of iPhones for an initial wave of sales, says the International Business Times. Quoting local media sources, the Times claims that Unicom has ordered 5 million units from Apple, at a price of 10 billion yuan. Each phone is thus worth roughly 2,000 yuan, or $293, before markup.
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08/04, 2:50pm
China iPhone for 2010
Kaufman Brothers analyst Shaw Wu has reiterated his belief that China Unicom is the front-runner for the iPhone's introduction into the Chinese market, although the device may not be ready for a local launch until closer to the Chinese New Year in February of 2010. Wu also diverges from several other analysts regarding the rumored tablet device, which he expects to land in 2010 instead of 2009.
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08/04, 12:10pm
Apple field trip to China
Apple executives are scheduled to fly into China this week, according to a source identified by regional news site Sina. The officials are specifically said to be heading to Beijing, with the express purpose of discussing the iPhone with peers at China Unicom. Apple executives may also be meeting with officials from the country's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, which has been handling testing for a local model.
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07/31, 8:20am
China Unicom iPhone Photo
An iPhone running on China Unicom's network has been seen in a set of photos (since edited) that appears to confirm reports of the carrier nearing a deal to carry the device in the Asian country. The handset shown by Sina appears to be a stock 16GB iPhone 3GS in most respects but, beyond showing "China Unicom" as the carrier identifier, shows Chinese characters on the back and makes a reference to the WCDMA 3G standard. While just a different way of referring to the UMTS format found in most parts of the world, the naming isn't found on any other iPhone released to date.
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07/28, 12:50am
China Unicom gets iPhone?
(Updated with Unicom response) China Unicom has allegedly landed a three-year contract for the exclusive rights to local iPhone distribution, according to a Shanghai Securities News report. The deal, described by unnamed sources, is said to extend for three years and guarantees annual sales of 1 million to 2 million units.
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07/15, 2:10pm
China iPhone details
As Apple continues to negotiation with China Unicom, an anonymous source has told NetEase that Foxconn is already mass producing a special version of the iPhone 3G for use on Chinese networks. The device is allegedly code-named "90" by the supplier, while the standard 3G model is known as "82" and the new 3GS handset is named "88."
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07/13, 4:55pm
Dell Android phone in fall
A Collins Stewart analyst believes Dell's rumored Android powered mobile device will be a cellphone after all and be launched in limited numbers via China Unicom. Ashok Kumar said he checked with electronics manufacturer Foxconn, which is said to be the contracted builder for the device. Kumar said other Chinese carriers passed on the Dell devices, which will reportedly run on ARM's Marvell processor.
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07/06, 11:05am
Chinese iPhone war
In spite of a recent Merrill Lynch report, no deal has been finalized for a Chinese iPhone, claims Kaufman Bros. analyst Shaw Wu. While China Unicom is still considered the frontrunner for a distribution agreement with Apple, the only alternative carrier in the region -- China Mobile -- is said by industry sources to be persisting in negotiations. The company has the distinct advantage of a larger subscriber base, at 488 million.
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06/19, 10:35am
China Unicom iPhone done?
A pact between Apple and cellular carrier China Unicom may already be sealed, according to Merrill Lynch analyst Cynthia Meng. "Our industry checks reveal that Unicom and Apple have most likely reached a deal for an exclusive 2-plus year agreement," reads a Meng note obtained by Reuters. "We expect iPhone products to be available in conjunction with the Unicom commercial scale 3G launch in Q4, starting on Oct 1." A Unicom spokeswoman insists that the two companies are still in talks, and has refused to comment further on Meng's claims.
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06/11, 9:55am
Chinese iPhone deal near
After more than a year of efforts, a deal for a Chinese iPhone may finally be nearing completion, writes IDG. An unidentified Apple phone has appeared in the approved product list of the State Wireless Inspection Center, having last month been granted clearance for an assigned frequency range for up to five years. Apple is also said to have posted an ad for a Beijing-based worker, who would oversee creating training material for Asian iPhone carriers.
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05/26, 3:50pm
HTC Android due in China
Taiwan's handset manufacturer HTC is due to release an Android-powered smartphone in China in June, its chief executive Peter Chou told the Wall Street Journal on Tuesday. The phone will be a version of the Magic, the second Android-powered handset from HTC that went on sale in Europe recently, although with custom software from China Mobile, the world's biggest wireless provider, at about 500 million subscribers. With the Magic, HTC hopes to double its China sales to 1.6 million.
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05/26, 11:20am
iPhone China Model Rumor
Apple's upcoming revision to the iPhone could be the first to split the line into multiple versions based on the network, a supposed leak said on Tuesday. Rather than stick to a one-size-fits-all approach, the company is claimed by iLounge to be offering iPhones with different network speeds depending on the region. Those in the best-equipped countries will get iPhones with 7.2Mbps 3G; other countries would still have 3.6Mbps 3G, while a third phone would be specific to China.
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04/21, 12:10pm
China Mobile Mobile Market
China Mobile on Tuesday confirmed rumors and said it will launch a cellphone app store of its own before the end of 2009. The simply-titled Mobile Market will let third parties publish apps regardless of operating system through a single store on the carrier. Most details aren't known, though the store is being timed to launch with the government-backed TD-SCDMA standard for 3G, which should produce speeds fast enough to encourage downloading more apps.
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03/30, 2:55pm
China Unicom deal delay?
A deal between Apple and China Unicom is unlikely to take place in the near future, says Wedge Partners. The research firm notes that while Unicom is now often seen as close to becoming the official Chinese iPhone carrier, a variety of factors suggest that a deal could be delayed for months more. Central among these is a new list of phones to be authorized for the company's 3G network, which include a number of other major manufacturers, but not Apple.
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03/24, 1:30pm
China Unicom iPhone specs
Cellphone carrier China Unicom is now hosting images and specifications for the iPhone 3G -- as well as the Android-based G1 -- on one of its websites, reports observe. The content is only associated with the Shanghai branch at the moment, and does not suggest any sales information, such as release dates. Animations also inaccurately depict the iPhone as supporting payments through near-field communication.
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03/04, 11:05am
Cn. Unicom chair on iPhone
The chairman of China Unicom, Chang Xiaobing, has admitted to talks with Apple in regards to selling the iPhone in China, Reuters reports. Although a manager is said to have confirmed the information early last month, Xiaobing himself has not spoken about negotiations until today. "We are in talks with many handset suppliers, including Apple," the executive told gathered reporters at an event.
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02/12, 4:10pm
C. Unicom iPhone talks
China Unicom is in talks to carry the iPhone, say Chinese publications. China Business News says it has received confirmation from a manager, and also learned that negotiations are being led by board chairman Chang Xiaobing. A source within the company claims that talks have actually been off and on with Apple since October, but are being held up by several obstacles, including business and legal issues.
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07/08, 4:55pm
Nokia 8208 Leak
Nokia has inadvertently confirmed the existence of a future device today through an openly accessible product page. The 8208 will be the first non-Nseries phone from Nokia to sport a two-way slider that helps the new device's music-heavy focus: sliding the display downwards reveals controls for navigating tracks and will presumably switch the phone to its music interface from other menus. The phone also promises a native 3.5mm headphone jack, a three-megapixel camera, and either assisted GPS in China or stand-alone GPS elsewhere.
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02/18, 11:05am
400,000+ iPhones in China
As many as 400,000 or more iPhones are already operating in China, according to a report issued by In-Stat. The research firm cites figures from China Mobile, the country's largest cellular carrier, which claims that the 400,000 figure was reached by the end of 2007, representing a full tenth of all iPhone shipments confirmed by Apple. In-Stat notes that this is four times what it had expected to find.
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