iPhone 4 "Readily Available in Apple Stores"

Almost since the day it was launched in mainland China in September 2010, the iPhone 4 has been virtually impossible to buy directly from the official Apple stores in Sanlitun Village and Xidan. I know this. Having destroyed my previous mobile in a "water" accident in early September, I'd purchased a cheap Nokia to tide me by until the iPhone 4 came out. RMB 5,000 was definitely a lot of money, but - I told myself - it was an "investment."

However, massive demand soon made buying an iPhone 4 as arduous a task as getting one of those much-fabled "China Green Cards." You couldn't buy it in the Apple store; the online store crashed; the online "booking" system became a real-time lesson in understanding the term "bottleneck" - with the bottle still corked. In Bainaohui and other electronic markets, prices of imported (and alleged knock-off) iPhones spiraled to as much as RMB 6,500 for a 16GB iPhone 4 (RMB 500 more than the 32GB's official retail price). It all became a bit farcical, and I began to give up.

Anyway, I had gotten used to my RMB 240 Nokia. It did the job. I could text and call. Sure, I couldn't have anyone in my address book whose name was longer than about 8 characters, but I was consoled by the fact that I could at least remember my contacts' identities by assigning them with cutesy icons like "guy with baseball cap," "guy with sock hat and goatee" and "chicken." I watched with scorn as friends answered work emails on their fancy smartphones, thinking "email away - but you don't have a mini-torch in your phone just in case there's a blackout, do you now?"

Now, basically overnight, it seems that the iPhone 4 is magically available once more in the Apple stores. The news has been reported on various Chinese sites, and and this article from our comrades over at People's Daily's English site affirms that "the domestic tension over the supply of authentic iPhone 4 products has been relieved quite a lot." Quite a lot, eh? Well, a friend has actually just confirmed that she went up to the Apple store in the Village to find the iPhone 4 readily available.

This can't come to any good. I still fully expect the scalpers to descend on the Village once more and drain the iPhone 4 stocks faster than you can say "Pingguo Si." But if I can beat them to the punch, my Nokia's days might be numbered. If anyone's after a durable, lightweight and torch-equipped phone, get in touch - I'll give you a good price.

Comments

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wow, so its just now that the iPhone 4 will be available in China? Other nations have been enjoying this wonderful device for months

http://bit.ly/gDUzFg

www.technobaboy.com

Beijing Bloke, you're missing the point. Apple stuff is about style, fashion and bragging rights far more than functionality.

It's like saying your 20K Louis Vitton handbag doesn't have all the features of your 2K NorthFace rucksack.

But it's weird because it's the first company that's kinda like a fashion label that sells electronics.

The cyber stalker; having very poor social skills so that they may have a limited number or no friends, knowing no life outside of the Internet due to insecurities that make them fear the real world...
ouch!

Sad

Oh yeah, well...I didn't really like the Galaxy...so there.

I like www.mybeijingstories.com!
Lady Goo-Goo of TBJ
Geek Girl 3l1t3
Pew Pew Laser Mistress
Keeper of Ancient Oriental Big Mac

The entire lot actually, there is simply no justification for their pricing. 5 grand for instance for the Iphone, that's a laugh. Apple bring a new meaning to the word propriety. The Galaxy S voted smartphone of the year for 2010 in Europe is almost half the price and in a straight comparison offers more than the Iphone.

‎'Na only poor man de sabi say him brother never chop since
morning. The big oga wey put poor man for sun no de remember. Because why? Him
own belle done full up with cornflake and milik and omlate.'

You, sir, are breaking my heart.

I like www.mybeijingstories.com!
Lady Goo-Goo of TBJ
Geek Girl 3l1t3
Pew Pew Laser Mistress
Keeper of Ancient Oriental Big Mac

cont..

.. i love it though..cause it means the fashion-forward ultra chic metrosexuals with their iphone4's will be out-dated and out-of-style just a few months after getting the ellusive iphone4

apple has already released 4 iphones in just 3 years.. sounds unbelievable but check it out yourself and you'll see i'm not lying...less than a year between releasing the newer versions and now i hear the iphone5 is coming out in a few months...ridiculous!

BeijingBloke wrote:
Apple products are for people who have more money than sense.

YES! It's called the iPad. I would love to hear a decent rationalization for owning one of these plates of crap instead of a netbook.

I like www.mybeijingstories.com!
Lady Goo-Goo of TBJ
Geek Girl 3l1t3
Pew Pew Laser Mistress
Keeper of Ancient Oriental Big Mac

Apple products are for people who have more money than sense.

‎'Na only poor man de sabi say him brother never chop since
morning. The big oga wey put poor man for sun no de remember. Because why? Him
own belle done full up with cornflake and milik and omlate.'

I had to wait 6 months to use the iPhone 4 I bought in Manhattan. Now it's all hacked and stuff but I love it! :X

Totally worth the wait. I'm so done with grey market phones.

I like www.mybeijingstories.com!
Lady Goo-Goo of TBJ
Geek Girl 3l1t3
Pew Pew Laser Mistress
Keeper of Ancient Oriental Big Mac

Bad news for scalpers. A guy in Hong Kong was out HK$48,880 when grey market prices plummeted.

http://micgadget.com/12126/scalpers-losing-money-after-iphone-4-supply-stabilizes-in-hong-kong/

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