The release of the iPhone 4 this weekend drew large crowds and long lines. One of the anticipated features of the new iPhone was its WIFI capability – a feature restricted by the authorities until recently. But this is China and before everyone thinks that the powers-that-be are going soft we found some other interesting aspects unique to the Chinese iPhone.

Today the Shanghaiist reported, in a slightly sensationalized story, about the map app on the local iPhone. On Chinese iPhones the Apple map application is “censored to comply with the official stance of the Chinese government on border divisions,” which means that disputed areas like India-administered Arunachal Pradesh appear on the map as part of China. Interestingly, or frighteningly, a VPN doesn’t alter the map to show proper boundaries.

The app also shows places both inside and outside of China with Chinese names, and in some instances – Toronto, Canada – names are only displayed in Chinese characters. Even worse, places in Belgium and Italy have street numbers but not names. A slight problem for those trying to use the map while traveling outside of the PRC.

The Shanghaiist article offers a sensationalist, than realistic, picture of the problem. The blog that the article is taken from is a better source for those interested in the issue. A simple solution exists to the app problem as the blogger writes, “Because Apple's own apps are not deletable [sic], I've now buried the Maps app in an obscure folder, and instead replaced the icon with a direct link to maps.google.com, whose mobile-enabled mapping template is just great: Compared with Apple's app, it serves up a reality-based map in China even without VPN….   Another option is to use Google Earth for the iPhone.”

Alternatively, unlocked iPhones in Hong Kong don’t have the issues that mainland Chinese ones do.