2010 Jul 14 iPhone Wi-Fi Finally Coming to China?
Have the iPhone on your shopping lost, but holding out because of its lack of Wi-Fi on the local market? Good news from the Wall Street Journal. Shortly after the opening of Apple’s second China store in Shanghai, the iPhone received a license from the Telecommunication Equipment Certification Center approving the use of its Wi-Fi capability and could soon enter the market with China Unicom, according to the WSJ.
The article says that it is likely that only the 3G or 3Gs phones would be released with wi-fi in China, as only the older generation is pictured in a photo released on the Certification Center’s website. The wi-fi capable iPhone has already been on sale in China’s grey market, but as China Unicom subsidizes the cost of official phones, consumers will likely be able to purchase it at a lower cost.
This could be a sign of good things to come for Apple in the Chinese market. The iPhone has received lackluster sales numbers since its introduction to China late last year, partly due to the lack of wi-fi capability. But according to an article recently published by the New York Times, the company is making an aggressive push into the country.
Charles Wolf, who follows apple for Needham & Company told the New York Times, “Apple plans a major invasion of China over the next 18 months to two years. To date, Apple has not been a force in China. But it will be.”
Hopefully this is also means an easier road into the Chinese market for the iPad and the iPhone 4, which according to reports late last month, are to make their debut sometime in September.
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Jerry
Re: iPhone Wi-Fi Finally Coming to China?
I'm still wondering why they didn't allow wi-fi enabled iPhones in the first place.
Jerry Chan, Editorial Director
WJHeathershaw
Re: iPhone Wi-Fi Finally Coming to China?
If you can't spring for the iPhone, a great alternative has always been the iTouch.
You can access iTouch's from www.MacMall.com for up to 30% off the price at the Beijing and Shanghai Apple Stores.
Then have Dong-Xi.com ship it to your Chinese address, still saving you a healthy amount of money.
Cheers.
www.dong-xi.com
William James Heathershaw
Founder
ShopWeShip.com
badr
Re: iPhone Wi-Fi Finally Coming to China?
jerry,
At the time of the original contract/announcement, WIFI on phones was technically illegal in China.
by the time they changed the law, Apple had already manufactured a whole bunch of non-wifi iphone for unicom so they proceeded anyways.
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Jerry
Re: iPhone Wi-Fi Finally Coming to China?
Thanks for the explanation, Badr - any insight into why wi-fi on phones was illegal? Seems kind of random
Jerry Chan, Editorial Director
chinpokomaster05
Re: iPhone Wi-Fi Finally Coming to China?
Well now technically the WIFI was left off because it was the international standard and it needed to be using China's standard for WIFI security, which no other country uses.
The 'new' iPhone 3GS set to be released in China will meet China's WIFI security rule but I wonder if the phone will also be able to use WIFI networks outside of China. I have a feeling, NO.
More info:
http://news.cnet.com/China-implements-new-Wi-Fi-security-standard/2100-7...
Jerry
Re: iPhone Wi-Fi Finally Coming to China?
I heard Israel originally banned the ipad because of wi-fi security concerns - guess we're not the only ones ...
Jerry Chan, Editorial Director
chinpokomaster05
Re: iPhone Wi-Fi Finally Coming to China?
That had something to do with the iPad drawing too much of the network's badnwidth or something. They didn't want their crappy networks crashing; makes sense.
China is doing this so companies like Apple have to partner with domestic companies in China and share technology secrets. China wants this to help their GDP but I suspect it's also so domestic companies can steal whatever knowledge they can and make more 山寨 ripoffs.