5 Million iPhones Heading to China Unicom?

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...
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Rene Ritchie is one of the most respected Apple analysts in the business, reaching a combined audience of over 40 million readers a month. His YouTube channel, Vector, has over 90 thousand subscribers and 14 million views and his podcasts, including Debug, have been downloaded over 20 million times. He also regularly co-hosts MacBreak Weekly for the TWiT network and co-hosted CES Live! and Talk Mobile. Based in Montreal, Rene is a former director of product marketing, web developer, and graphic designer. He's authored several books and appeared on numerous television and radio segments to discuss Apple and the technology industry. When not working, he likes to cook, grapple, and spend time with his friends and family.