China Unicom Has Sold 100,000 iPhones Since Launch

[Eraserhead]

The 3G customers are less than one percent (0.6%) of Unicom's customers.

Because most of Unicom's customers can't afford a 3G phone/contract or don't see the point in spending their limited resources on one.

Therefore they aren't in the market for a $1000 phone.

And it is amazing to snag extremely low double digits of less than 1% of a market?

What's the iPhone (or Windows Mobile/Symbian/whatever) share in other developing countries? Even other countries that are doing well like Chile and Malaysia? Really really low too I'd expect.

China is developing quickly, but they aren't yet as rich as the US/EU/Japan.

 

[Yuniverse]

Even Korea has 100,000 iPhone subscribers

I just read in Korean newspaper that KT(iPhone carrier in South Korea) has garnered 100,000 iPhone subscribers in just 9 days. Hopefully the stats on China iPhone sales will improve soon.

 

[Eraserhead]

South Korea is much richer than China .

EDIT: To the people whining about the iPhone not selling in China would you buy one if it cost $10000? And what percentage of Americans would?

 

[kdarling]

The 3G customers are less than one percent (0.6%) of Unicom's customers. So the iPhone has 10% of 0.6%.

A while back some here added up how many people (outside the USA) had official access to buying an iPhone from their carrier. Out of those populations, less than 0.1% had bought one.

In comparison, about 12% of ATT's USA customers had done so. That's about a hundred times the takeup rate of the rest of the GSM world.

Third world economics, a forced data plan, lack of 3G, needing a computer to activate... all must be factors.

 

[iphones4evry1]

Thank you for posting this. It is helpful.

 

[zxcvb]

But it is a significant proportion of those people who live in China who can afford to spend $700-$1000 on a phone.



China isn't rich enough yet that most people can just afford to drop $700 to $1000 on a phone. Hell the GDP per capita of China is only $3250 per year.

gosh, stop the improvident ignorance. my very first cellphone was 5600rmb (800USD) 7 years ago when I was a poor ass college student there.

 

[Eraserhead]

gosh, stop the improvident ignorance.

I think the iPhone is expensive at $1000, and I live in a country where you can earn $40000/year easily so I am projecting a bit. But I actually have spoken to fairly ordinary people in the "rich developing world" (like China) about this exact issue, and they said the phone was too expensive.

 

[valanchan]

Grey market phones are covered by warranty, just look up the serial before you buy.

The problem with China is that Hong Kong is so easy to get to. You can easily buy a fully functioning iPhone without contract, fully unlocked and totally legit. Albeit more money but the people that can afford the iPhone monthly plans can afford the retail price of an iPhone.

I agree. I bought an unlocked iPhone in Apple's Hong Kong online store. It worked out to be only slightly more expensive than the local Hong Kong carrier version.

It would be interesting to see the Hong Kong sales figures now that you can buy an iPhone in all the major electronics outlets.

China altered the laws an WiFi several months ago, albeit too late for the first batch of iPhones, to allow WiFi.

 

[botorman]

Unicron !!!?

 

[twoodcc]

not bad considering no wifi. hopefully sales will maintain there, and they'll get wifi soon

 

[seedster2]

People who think the lack of wi-fi is the primary reason for the slower adoption rate in China are in denial or just stupid.