China Unicom has reached an agreement with Apple to buy 5 million iPhones, with the first units set to go on sale in mainland China in September. Citing a CBN news article, International Business Times reports that the carrier has already paid Apple 10 billion yuan, or roughly $1.46 billion, for 5 million WCDMA iPhones, in both 8GB and 16GB varieties.
The September rollout has been confirmed by Zhou Youmeng, vice general manager of China Unicom, who said the phone will initially be available at China Unicom 3G sections in retail partner Carrefour stores, and some large retail outlets run by the company. As to pricing, Yu Zaonan, general manager of customer development for China Unicom, said, “[t]he price of the 8G standard iPhone is set at about 2,400 yuan and the 16G may be sold at 4,800 yuan.” Currently, 2,400 yuan is the equivalent of roughly $350, making 4,800 yuan the equivalent of about $700.
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