iPhone 5 likely to cost more than RMB7,000 in China
Staff reporter 2012-09-12 17:16 (GMT+8)
The iPhone 4S, the last version of Apple's smartphone. (Photo/Xinhua)
Apple's new iPhone 5 will retail in China for more than 6,999 yuan (US$1,105), reports the Jiefang Daily, the daily newspaper of the Shanghai CCP Committee.
The latest generation of Apple's smartphone is reportedly set to be unveiled on Sept. 12 in the US, with the phone expected to be available for sale in selected regions from Sept. 21. Sources claim Apple may also be announcing a cheaper 8GB version of the phone.
Many parallel importers in mainland China have been advertising pre-orders for the phone for weeks, with the majority offering an estimated price of 6,999 yuan (US$1,105) or more.
While sellers have reserved the right to adjust the price following Apple's official announcement, they have generally been quite accurate in predicting shipping dates. One parallel importer told the Jiefang Daily it would be able to offer the iPhone 5 for sale seven days after its global release date. If Hong Kong is included as part of the global release, then the waiting time could be as short as three days, the retailer said.
One seller accepting pre-orders says however that interest has so far not been very high, as it is unclear what new features the phone will include and its relatively higher price range. Stocks are also likely to be very limited initially, the seller added.
Potential buyers told the Jiefang Daily that while they are looking forward to the release of the iPhone 5, there are now so many competing smartphones in the market that they will look at all options closely before making a purchase.
Shanghai's Oriental Morning Post predicts that the iPhone 5 could become the biggest selling iPhone of all time. The previous version, the iPhone 4S — which was not a significant upgrade on its predecessor, the iPhone 4 — shifted more than one million units on its first day of sale last October. Some analysts believe the iPhone 5 could sell between 6 million to 10 million units in its first week.
In accordance with previous releases, it is likely that the iPhone 4S and other earlier models will see a price reduction of around 1,000 yuan (US$158) upon the release of the iPhone 5, the paper said.
Meanwhile, Apple's archrival Samsung says it is considering taking further legal action against the US company if the iPhone 5 infringes its Long Term Evolution (LTE) wireless patents, the national Korea Times reported. Apple is said to be holding 400 LTE patents compared to Samsung's 800. Last month, Samsung was ordered to pay Apple US$1.05 billion in damages for infringing various Apple patents.
