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This poor fool trying to smuggle iPhones

Xultar

Xultar

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Dec 4, 2010
742
34

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So that means he was carrying on him at least a 12.126 kg weight if they were all iPhone 6 or at most 16.168 kg weight if they were all iPhone 6 Plus
 
wolfaaron said:
Pardon my ignorance but why is there a black market for iPhones in mainland China?
Click to expand...

I'm not sure why either, but some of my friends who live behind the Great Firewall says that it's because the local variant of the iPhone isn't the same as the global variant. The local iPhones also have been modified with WAPI in the wi-fi chip, presumably for the commie government to spy into the phone.

The Chinese variants also don't have CDMA (EV-DO), but retains TD-SCDMA capability.

Global variants have all GSM, UMTS, DC-HSPA, CDMA EV-DO, TD-SCDMA and LTE (TDD and FDD).

AT&T and Verizon variants lack the TDD-LTE bands, as well as TD-SCDMA.
 

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wolfaaron said:
Pardon my ignorance but why is there a black market for iPhones in mainland China?
Click to expand...


yjchua95 said:
I'm not sure why either, but some of my friends who live behind the Great Firewall says that it's because the local variant of the iPhone isn't the same as the global variant. The local iPhones also have been modified with WAPI in the wi-fi chip, presumably for the commie government to spy into the phone.

The Chinese variants also don't have CDMA (EV-DO), but retains TD-SCDMA capability.

Global variants have all GSM, UMTS, DC-HSPA, CDMA EV-DO, TD-SCDMA and LTE (TDD and FDD).

AT&T and Verizon variants lack the TDD-LTE bands, as well as TD-SCDMA.
Click to expand...



The article stated there's a large price difference between the two areas.
 
gixxerfool said:
The article stated there's a large price difference between the two areas.
Click to expand...

From what I know (I asked my friends who live behind the Great Firewall), my friends said that it was because of the absence of some cellular bands in the local variant, as well as the presence of WAPI. But then, they're more of the security-conscious type and view the ChiCom's policy of enforcing WAPI as a means for the commie government to spy into the phone and capture wifi traffic.

Price isn't really the issue since the smuggled iPhones will be resold at an inflated price in commie territory.
 
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