During a presentation at Macworld Asia, China Unicom revealed that, as long and widely rumored, iPhone 5 will support HSPA+ networks.

Japanese IT news site "PC Watch" tells that, Research vice president of China Unicom, Huan Wenliang, told iPhone 5 will support W-CDMA based high-speed data transfer standard HSPA Evolution "HSPA+" (21Mbps) at keynote speech in Macworld Asia 2011.

While HSPA+ is really a 3.5G technology, T-Mobile, AT&T, and now many other carriers have been marketing it as 4G for a while now in order to compete with real 4G networks like Verizon LTE. (Turns out it's easier to print 4G on a box than build out an actual LTE network, go figure?)

It will be interesting to see how an HSPA+ iPhone will be marketed by AT&T. Will Apple let them call it a 4G iPhone?

Source: PC Watch via MacRumors

Apple announced last night that iPhone 4 would be headed to China on September 25, availability will be via:

Apple Retail Stores including the new Apple Store® Hong Kong Plaza in Shanghai and the new Apple Store Xidan Joy City in Beijing opening on the same day. iPhone 4 will also be available on Saturday at China Unicom retail stores for qualified buyers with a new two year contract.

And pricing:

iPhone 4 will be sold in China through Apple’s retail stores for a suggested retail price of CNY4,999 for the 16GB model and CNY5,999 for 32GB model without a contract. At China Unicom stores, iPhone 4 will be available for qualified buyers with a new two year contract, sold separately. For pricing and tariff information please visit www.10010.com.

Needless to say that's a huge market that, thanks to unlocked (officially and otherwise) iPhones from other countries, already has a huge gray market. It will be interesting to see how an official Chinese version does this time around, especially with the continued lack of a China Mobile model. Any bets?

[Apple PR, thanks Geo Coldz)

Looks like iPhone 4 will hit China Unicom next month, and with Wi-Fi to boot. Apparently the iPad is coming as well, but not at the same time -- or any time specified at all yet.

Previous versions of the iPhone in China have controversially not included Wi-Fi and suffered in sales compared to real iPhones sold unlocked in Hong Kong or smuggled in via the gray market.

Still no word on China's largest carrier, China Mobile, or whether or not any of the CMDA technology Apple is apparently cooking up is Chinese CDMA.

[Market Watch via AppleInsider]

While announced 100,000 iPhones have been sold since it's launch back on October 30th.

If you stop and think about it, China Unicom has about 144 million customers so that 100,000 mark really does not seem like much. Again, we are blaming slow sales on the abundance of unlocked iPhones that actually have WiFi and can be used with Pre-Paid SIM cards.

Rumor has it that, since the local laws have changed, Apple will be making a WiFi iPhone for China, but will it be enough? Or is the Chinese market just too different and is Apple too slow to catch on to that fact?

[Thanks to the Reptile for the tip]

One would think that if the iPhone went on sale in the Chinese market it would sell like mad. So far, this is simply not the case as one of the largest Chinese online retailers, Taobao.com, has sold a total of five iPhones within the first two weeks of the device being available. China Unicom is also a seller of the phone but as of today, no official numbers have even been released.

With these poor sales aside, the iPhone is indeed very popular in China because of the unlocked devices that have been sold on the black market since the first generation iPhone was released back in 2007. If you take that into consideration and throw in the facts that the official version now being sold has been stripped of WiFi along with the ability to use pre-paid SIMs, both of which are very popular in China, you can see why people flock to the black market.

As it stands now, the iPhone is a flop in China. At least through official channels...

[Via Cult of Mac]

Today's the day -- the iPhone officially launches in China on China Unicom. We say officially because it's been available unofficially, in gray market form, since the original iPhone 2G was launched, and with winks and nudges via Apple's unlocked sales in Taiwan and Hong Kong.

So will international sales tumble as the world's biggest market can buy it at home? Will Chinese sales lag in favor of sticking with the unofficial versions from overseas or future Chinese versions that, you know, include Wi-Fi? Or will iPhone numbers just continue to grow, grow, grow?

Either way, welcome China, to the iPhone world!

Looks like China Unicom is set to launch the iPhone 3G 8GB (sans WiFi) for $300, which might sound expensive compared to the US $99 price, but here's the no-shadow kick -- the monthly plan is $20.

Granted, there's likely no one in the world who feels their iPhone plan is cheap -- and many who likely feel it ranges from expensive to exorbitant, but $20 a month compared to $70 or $100? Taken for one year that maths up to $240 vs. $840 or $1200. Two years, that's $480 vs. $1680 or $2400. Three years... you get the idea (likely painfully and right in the wallet). Makes that $200 up front savings pretty insignificant doesn't it.

Of course, the aforementioned lack of WiFi may make non-Chinese iPhone owners feel a little better about themselves, and there's still no way to know how the Internet in general, never mind the App Store will survive the Great Firewall of China.

Hao bu hao?

[Xinhua via Fortune]

As anticipated -- and anticipated again and again -- China Unicom has finally announced that the iPhone is coming to China:

On 28 August, the Company and Apple reached a three-year agreement for the Company to sell iPhone in China. The initial launch is expected to be in the fourth calendar quarter of 2009. This will provide users with brand new communication and information experience.

Now all that's left is to find out if it will have, you know, WiFi, an App Store, etc...

(via Engadget)

Apple's on-again, off-again (on again, off-again, ad infinitum) negotiations to get the iPhone into China seem to be on again -- we think. Honestly, it's impossible to tell anymore so until an Apple exec actually announces it on stage (in September?) or we see millions of Chinese ditching their gray-market, WiFi-enabled international iPhones for state sanctioned China Unicom, we'll just keep waiting (and waiting) and seeing...

Still, with a handset as popular as the iPhone and a market as HUGE as China, it really is only a matter of time.

[Via the Wall Street Journal]

That rumored deal whereby China Unicom was purchasing 5 million Wi-Fi-less iPhones for a huge introduction to the world's biggest cellular market? Turns out not so much with the 5 million according to a China Unicom spokesperson.

"Talks between us and Apple have been going on for some time, but no agreement has been reached yet," said Unicom spokesman Yi Difei. "There are all kinds of possibilities. There is no particular timetable for the talks."

We get it, big deal, big complications. Still, the iPhone has to hit China sometime, right? (Other than, you know, massive amounts of gray market imports...)

[Cellular News via Engadget Mobile]

China Unicom, the second largest mobile carrier in the world's largest mobile market, has reportedly bought 5 million iPhones from Apple as it makes ready to launch the device in September.

These won't be the same iPhones sold in the rest of the world, however, as they'll be using China-specific WCDMA radios, and will also lack Wi-Fi. Aiya. That, of course, leaves the door open for gray market iPhones -- a staple in the nation since the original iPhone 2G launch in 2007 -- to linger around and compete with the official, crippled version. (Insert Verizon joke here if you must).

Also changing according to the report is Apple's share of the money. While they typically get 20-30% of profits, they'll be making do with 1000-1100 Yuan per unit under terms of this deal (which allegedly may run as long as 3 years).

Either way, and long-in-the-making though it may be, it's a huge deal for Apple and the iPhone in a huge market. Guess we'll see what this does for Gartner's numbers next year...

(International Business Times via Apple Insider)

CNN Money's Fortune blog is rounding up news about a potential Apple deal with China Unicom to finally bring the iPhone to China.

The story is this: Shanghai Security News reported a 3-year deal for China Unicom's 600+ million subscriber base. China Unicom's spokesperson told Reuters:

"Discussions are still ongoing, we have not reached any formal agreement,"

The great unknowns, however, remain whether China will allow Wi-Fi, the full App Store, and other features rumored to be on China's "no go" list.

Apple, of course, still sells officially unlocked iPhones in Hong Kong and similar markets for those who can afford a premium for standard iPhone.

[Thanks to Andrew for the tip]

China might just be getting itself some iPhones! Oh, sure, there are already tons of iPhones in China -- almost a cottage industry of them -- but this time we're talking official from Apple, no unlock needed, spiffy new iPhone 3Gs. In China.

Not from China Mobile, who's off again, off again relationship with Apple is well documented, but from competitor China Unicom. Maybe even by August!

Hen Hao!

A huge territory with a massive subscriber base, China was one of the few countries not announced by Apple as part of the 70+ at WWDC. If true, only Russia and a few others (looking at you, Antarctica!) would stand between Apple and total global domination... (or at least market presence!)

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