The iPhone in China

[Randy W]

. . . from the New York Times

 

A Muted Beginning to Sales of Apple’s iPhone Through China Mobile

 

A hint of the challenges was apparent on Friday, when customers were finally able to buy iPhones from China Mobile. At a store in Beijing, only about a dozen customers showed up to buy iPhones, despite the appearance of Timothy D. Cook, Apple’s chief executive. It was a far cry from the long lines that usually accompany a big introduction in the United States

 

. . .

 

When iPhones were introduced in China five years ago by the country’s second-largest mobile operator, China Unicom, they found a ready market among trend-conscious consumers. Since then, despite adding the country’s third-biggest carrier, China Telecom, to its lineup, Apple has lost ground to the market leader in smartphones, Samsung Electronics, and lower-end domestic rivals. Apple’s market share in China has fallen into the single digits.

 

 

[RobertH]

So can I still buy Iphones and resell them when we get to China? Or not worth it now?

[Guest ExChinaExpat]

So can I still buy Iphones and resell them when we get to China? Or not worth it now?

 

I guess it depends on how much you have to pay for it and how many you can get through customs. Chinese still prefer to buy phones from the US as there are just too many counterfeits out there. It looks like the iPhone 5 is selling for 4723 yuan on Amazon.cn or $706 usd:

 

http://www.amazon.cn/Apple-iPhone-5-3G%E6%99%BA%E8%83%BD%E6%89%8B%E6%9C%BA/dp/B009J90HMO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1390100290&sr=8-1&keywords=iphone+5

 

or a little less on taobao.com:

 

http://s.taobao.com/search?q=iphone+5&commend=all&ssid=s5-e&search_type=mall&sourceId=tb.index&spm=a215z.7106357.5803581.d4908513