In common with most of the developed world the Chinese are going mental for the iPhone – despite the wondrous widget not having launched there yet.
Wealthy Chinese gadgetoholics are asking friends to bring back unlocked iPhones (presumably 1st-gen ones) so they can get in on the multitouch action, says this AFP article.
“The iPhone has brought back the planned-economy era,” says market researcher James Lei – only without the possibility of having your contraband denims confiscated, presumably.
More than half a million iPhones made their way to China in the last 12 months – some estimates say that 40% of all unlocked iPhones are to be found in the pockets of Chinese owners.
Apple is rumoured to be in talks with China Mobile and is trying to negotiate the iPhones proper launch for later this year.
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About Stuart Houghton
Chinese are retards by nature, they’ll buy anything they think white people buy. Apple, you people are so dumb, you can rip off all those chinaman so easily, but you still haven’t launched the (extremely crappy) iphone there yet? So weird. The world is focussed on china because chinaman will pay double or triple the actual value for something just because he/she/it thinks white man uses it therefore it must be “the best”. Get Apple branded as “the best” in china because in china everyone only cares about “the best” and if you are “the best” then everyone will say you are “the best” and everyone wants to sell “the best” and everyone wants to buy “the best”. Pity your pathetic screen resolution of the iphone (copying nokia’s idea of using old and outdated components to lower your manufacturing cost) is too low to display chinese characters properly, you racist americans.