China braces for substantial iPhone impact

by Stevie Smith - Aug 13 2009, 15:45

The regional popularity of Apple’s trend-setting iPhone smartphone looks set to continue following news that the handset’s upcoming entry to China’s competitive consumer electronics market will be anything but low key and modest.

Specifically, a report appearing in the International Business Times (IBT) has claimed Chinese carrier China Unicom has splashed out some $1.46 billion USD in making sure it has plenty of iPhone units ready to hit retail ahead of the device’s official September arrival across the region.

Citing local media sources, IBT points out that Apple is believed to have sold some five million units of the WCDMA version of the iPhone (no Wi-Fi connectivity) to China Unicom, which will sell the standard 8GB model for around 2,400 yuan, while the larger 16GB model will sell for approximately 4,800 yuan.

In helping to “put the 5 million total in perspective” regarding the iPhone’s potential impact in China, Apple Insider notes that Cupertino-based Apple Inc. sold some 5.2 million iPhone units around the world during the last financial quarter.

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