iPhone launched in China
First official iPhone contracts now available, no carrier exclusivity, however
The Chinese are the original pocket gamers. The country has the largest mobile network and the highest number of mobile users in the world, and given that video game consoles other than the Nintendo DS are prohibited (technically speaking, though apparently they're pretty easy to get hold of), mobile gaming has been the refuge of the eager Chinese gamer.
The iPhone, therefore, seems made for the Chinese market, but it's been a rocky road for Apple securing an official release. Much of this comes from technical restriction by the Chinese government, which doesn't allow wi-fi equipped devices unless they use a proprietary security protocol - something the iPhone doesn't have.
China Unicom, the second largest provider in China, signed a deal with Apple recently to launch the iPhone across China - a deal secured by the fact that Unicom is one of the few network carriers with the technology to provide 3G coverage. Today sees Unicom launch the iPhone officially, though according to Chinese website 163.com it's seen an underwhelming response.
Outside the Beijing Apple Store on iPhone launch day. Can you hear the crickets?
Although China Unicom has evidently over-prepared with its queuing system outside the Beijing Apple Store, this perhaps isn't entirely unexpected. Grey market iPhones have been available for quite some time, and can be picked up cheaper than Chinese mobile users can buy an (off contract) handset officially; and these handsets come with wi-fi enabled.
What they don't have is 3G, however, and it's here that China Unicom is hoping to bring grey market users under its contract umbrella, by targeting its advertising at existing iPhone owners.
So, even though they're not beating down the door of the Apple Store as other territories have, Chinese mobile gamers might well be flocking to China Unicom for a sim card very soon.
This isn't an exclusive arrangement, however. China Unicom is the first to bring the iPhone to China because it had the infrastructure in place, but other companies - including electronics retailers and the largest mobile provider in the world, China Mobile - are believed to be in talks with Apple already.
One way or another, it's of huge importance not only to Apple but to the thousands of app developers out there that China has now officially joined the iCommunity; opening up a vast new market to Chinese developers and anyone ready to localise their products.
