I'm not that sure if WSJ really understands Chinese. Let me tell you how the price is in China.
Actually the 2-years contracts price is $874 including 2 years monthly fee.
The two-years contract needs you spend at least 42.5 USD per month. Once you pay $874, China Unicom will deposit 35.7 USD per month to your account. That means you actually need to pay only extra 6.8 USD for your monthly fee. Then the actually iPhone 4 price is 874-35.7*24=17.2 USD. Yes, you have to spend at least 42.5 USD per month. But how much should we pay for AT&T every month? It's over 80 and sometimes 100 as well as the iPhone4 is 199 USD before tax!(The price in China is after tax!)
Don't whine that Chinese is too poor to use up 42.5 USD cell phone fee per month. Most of apple target users pay much more than that every month. Remember, Shanghai,Beijing and even Guangzhou are better than any big city in US regarding the buildings and constructions.
From my point of view, if AT&T is willing to move forward that aggressively, iPhone will be the only smart phone in US.
I predict iPhone4 will be a big bomb in China. I've already facetime with my buddies in China using iPhone4 although they bought iPhone4 from Hongkong

Quote:
Originally Posted by
AppleInsider 
Apple announced Sunday that the iPhone 4 will be available in China starting Saturday, September 25 at 8 a.m. The launch will coincide with the openings of the Hong Kong Plaza Apple Store in Shanghai and the Xidan Joy City Apple Store in Beijing.
Apple issued the press release Sunday, announcing that it would effectively double its brick-and-mortar presence in China on Sept. 25.
The Cupertino, Calif., company announced earlier this year that it plans to build 25 retail stores in China in the next two years.
At Apple's retail stores, the iPhone 4 will start at CNY4,999 (about $743) for the 16 GB model and will not require a contract. A two-year contract is required for customers who purchase the handset through China Unicom.
According to the Wall Street Journal, users who buy through China Unicom will have to pay CNY5,880 (about $874) for the iPhone 4 and a deposit for the two-year contract.
Apple's press release did not mention whether iPhone 4 purchasers will receive a free case, as previously rumored.
Next week's iPhone 4 launch comes just a week after the successful launch of the iPad in China. Apple fans lined up outside the Shanghai and Beijing Apple stores, with some waiting as long as 60 hours for the tablet device.