Apple issued the press release Sunday, announcing that it would effectively double its brick-and-mortar presence in China on Sept. 25.
The Cupertino, Calif., company announced earlier this year that it plans to build 25 retail stores in China in the next two years.
At Apple's retail stores, the iPhone 4 will start at CNY4,999 (about $743) for the 16 GB model and will not require a contract. A two-year contract is required for customers who purchase the handset through China Unicom.
According to the Wall Street Journal, users who buy through China Unicom will have to pay CNY5,880 (about $874) for the iPhone 4 and a deposit for the two-year contract.
Apple's press release did not mention whether iPhone 4 purchasers will receive a free case, as previously rumored.
Next week's iPhone 4 launch comes just a week after the successful launch of the iPad in China. Apple fans lined up outside the Shanghai and Beijing Apple stores, with some waiting as long as 60 hours for the tablet device.
48 Comments
Well that's real cheap..
I guess the iPhone is for the middle class and rich Chinese..
Well that's real cheap..
I guess the iPhone is for the middle class and rich Chinese..
Precisely where Apple wants to be over the next few years in China. It's Like Gucci and Loius Vitton in Asia.
I expect people to wait even more for the iphone 4.
Hopefully that includes one in Hong Kong.......
Surely it won’t sell well¡ After all Apple uses commodity HW, Android had not only caught up with iOS but far surpassed it with its openness, and Asian phones are so advanced that anything designed in the US pales in comparison¡