iPhone Cruncher

Unicom has informed the public on their plans of launching Apple’s latest iPhone. It would be released next month in the world’s largest mobile market, state-run media said Tuesday.
Apple also has settled to let China Unicom, the country’s second-largest mobile operator, distribute the iPad tablet computer in China,. The source was released by Caixin media group said, citing an unidentified source from China Unicom.No timetable has been set for the iPad launch, the report said.
China Unicom has said beforehand it is in talks with Apple to sell the iPhone 4 and the iPad, which have commence around the world to much display and are already available in China’s flourishing grey market for Apple products.
The company started offering the iPhone 3GS model with wireless Internet capability earlier this month, with Apple’s Beijing store selling out of the phone on the first day, Caixin said.
he highly anticipated release of the iPhone in China — which has 687 million wireless subscribers, more than twice the population of the U.S. — is expected to be a boost for both Apple and Unicom, one of three Chinese state-owned telecommunications carriers. Still, the two companies face challenges to realizing the iPhone’s potential in China, including competition from similar devices, and the companies left several key questions about pricing and other details unanswered Friday.

The release of the iPhone in China could turbocharge overseas growth for what is already Apple’s fastest-growing product. China is the world’s largest mobile market by subscribers, with some 687 million subscribers. That compares with more than 270 million subscribers in the U.S.

An official at China Unicom told AFP he could not confirm the deals.

After much controversy and waiting, Apple’s iPhone will finally be available in China starting October. This developed after Apple and China Unicorn reached an accord regarding the authorized distribution of the popular iPhone 3G in the mainland.

News about the iPhone venturing into China broke out the past months and after many considered the effort futile, everything has been finally settled. With the deal, Apple now enters one of the biggest mobile markets known today.

Chinese users will get the iPhone 3G with 8GB for $365 with a 2-year contract and a monthly rate of $27 (minimum). The Wi-Fi function will be disabled initially but may be added in the future, along with China’s homegrown WAPI (WLAN Authentication and Privacy Infrastructure) standard.

The iPhone 3GS is expected to follow suit as soon as the first batch of iPhones are officially distributed to Chinese natives. It will be interesting to see how Dell will react to Apple’s move with its China-only smartphone “mini 3i”, which is neither priced nor dated yet.

(Source) 163.com via Mobile Crunch