China To Get the iPhone 4 On Saturday Sept 25

[Maura]

Apple has today announced that, after much speculation, the iPhone 4 will finally be launching in China on September 25th. Macworld reports that the phone's release this coming weekend coincides with the opening of Apple's two new flagship stores in China, in Beijing and Shanghai.

China Unicom, the carrier that has been chosen to handle the device in China, reportedly took 50,000 pre-orders when it first started taking them last Friday, which is a massive increase from the 5,000 iPhone 3GS's that were sold in the week after it launched in China last year. Macworld reports that Apple currently has 7.1 percent of the Chinese smartphone market, slotting in at a lowly fifth place behind Nokia, Samsung, Motorola, and Sony Ericsson, and notes that, at an SRP of 4,999 yuan, ($744) for a 16GB version, a contract-free iPhone 4 is much more expensive to buy in China than it would be in the US.

Source: Macworld

 

[Gregoris]

the phones are assembled there how do they get it last

 

[Alude904]

the phones are assembled there how do they get it last

Thats exactly what i was wondering. I bet theres a few ppl who stole one from work and are secretly waiting for an unlock to come out.

 

[Gregoris]

the phones are assembled there how do they get it last

Thats exactly what i was wondering. I bet theres a few ppl who stole one from work and are secretly waiting for an unlock to come out.

ITS STRAIGHT FROM THE FACTORY sorry caps off i dont think they lock them there but lock them once the carriers receive it, could be wrong

 

[hoserama]

Lol!! That's too funny.

 

[planemechanic]

OK, stood in line last Saturday for 4 1/2 hours and bought the iPhone 4, officially unlocked, from the Apple store in Sanlitun. Imagine my disappointed when I found out that the iPhone 4 sold in China has a crippled Map app. It shows Chinese borders that only China recognizes, but worse, it only displays street names in CHINESE all over the world. A normal iPhone 4 map app will display street names in English and in the local language (French for Paris, for example).

This is NOT a user adjustable issue on the Chinese iPhone 4, the language of the settings does not matter. It is CRIPPLED by the Chinese government. So I took it back to the store today and got a refund. Tried to return it two days ago but the place was locked up tight with police and employees only inside. They were not letting anyone in.

Chinese iPhone 4 Comes With PRC Propaganda Edition Of Google Maps (AAPL, GOOG)

Ogle Earth: Beware: Chinese iPhone 4 comes with a crippled Maps app

Chinese iPhone 4 Comes with Crippled Maps App | Mac|Life

Chinese iPhone 4 Forces Censored Maps -- InformationWeek

 

[Gregoris]

the maps app sucks any way, its more like an electronic map which if your driving is just so annoying to use you need some one sitting next to you constantly moving the screen to keep up with the pin, come on apple give us free tomtom app or one similar but just as good or better

 

[Alude904]

I wonder if you could restore with an american ios version? Or is that not how it works.

 

[planemechanic]

I wonder if you could restore with an american ios version? Or is that not how it works.

My research said this was not possible, that your iOS version was connected to the phone's serial number. So, back to the store it went and the money came back to me. I may buy another iPhone 4 in Canada or another country that does not cripple it, or I may look at other options.

 

[Gregoris]

the maps app is actually usefull to you? how do you keep it constantly in line with the green pint hats constantly moving and you have to move the screen to catch up with it