Consumers Laugh At China Unicom’s “Castrated” iPhone
On 30th October, along with a high-profile event in Beijing and 30 ceremonies in major cities, China Unicom started selling iPhones equipped for 3G service officially at 2,000 stores nationwide.
Without a key feature of WiFi connectivity and at higher prices than widely available black market models, China Unicom’s iPhones are absolutely not able to satisfy Chinese consumers. As a result, it is ridiculed as a “castrated iPhone”. I came across below cartoon last night. It is a classic visualization of such satire.
According to Baidu Index, the media attention rate of China Unicom’s iPhone has increased 200% in this week, while the consumer attention rate has only grown 51%. Can China Unicom meet its goal of selling 5 million iPhones in three years?
some related reading material
FINANCIAL TIMES: iPhone hits the shelves officially in China
CBS NEWS: iPhone Comes to China without WiFi
WSJ: Chant in Beijing: ‘iPhone! iPhone!’
