Jane Leung
Jun 28, 2010

China Unicom enters talks with Apple for iPhone 4, iPad rights

BEIJING - China Unicom, the main iPhone service provider in China, has begun talks with Apple to introduce iPhone 4G and the iPad to the mainland market.

Apple iPhone 4
Apple iPhone 4

Apple has not confirmed any plans for the sales of the two new gadgets in China. However, if the deal goes through, iPad, and especially iPhone 4G, will face stiff competition from the gray market and domestic brands that already produce similar models.

The lock-down to use China Unicom and up-front payment with the service provider also posts a hesitation for users, even for the iPhone 3G users.

According to China Unicom, they sold a hundred thousand units of iPhone in 2009. This is a weak number compared to the 270 thousand units sold within the first 30 hours of launch in the States in 2007.

Apple will open a flagship store in Shanghai mid-July.

China Unicom currently holds a non-exclusive, three-year contract with Apple to sell the 3G iPhone in China.

Source:
Campaign China

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