China's largest e-commerce site sells 5 iPhones in 2 weeks

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Comments

  • Reply 41 of 76
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by ruel24 View Post


    Does it have anything to do with the fact that the average worker doesn't make much money? It's not like here in the US or Europe where people make a decent living.



    It has more to do with protectionist actions by China and disabling WiFi than wages. There are plenty of very wealthy customers in China, and iPhone is not positioned to compete with the free and cheap phones, moreso the high-end ones.
  • Reply 42 of 76
    mcdavemcdave Posts: 1,927member
    And how many has Amazon sold?



    McD
  • Reply 43 of 76
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Dlux View Post


    Until the Wifi-enabled models arrives in China, there will be countless stories about poor iPhone sales. Of course this first batch of castrated phones is going to be unwanted. It's a shame that Apple got caught up in this bad timing, but if they delayed indefinitely there would be a different group of people labeling their launch a failure. Sometimes you can't win...



    I'm sure Apple insisted on pre-payment for the first shipment of phones due to the crippling.
  • Reply 44 of 76
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by hezekiahb View Post


    How in the world does Apple justify such a high price, shame on them. The iPhone is made in China for crying out loud!



    I honestly don't see how the iPhone has any chance to take off in China, restrictions are too stifling, you pretty much can't use any of the features that make the iPhone such a great product.



    Also, why buy a legit iPhone when you can buy a black market hacked phone that isn't restricted for much less money, I suspect a lot of people do just that.



    China Unicom decides the final price, not Apple.
  • Reply 45 of 76
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Zoolook View Post


    Apparently not... could explain the rise of China and the decline of the west, eh?



    All cultures like fart jokes. True story.
  • Reply 46 of 76
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Abster2core View Post


    If anybody is interested the China Unicom iPhone pricing schedule can be seen at:



    http://translate.googleusercontent.c...f1theJ05EkoK5g



    too bad, not many ppl on this forum can do add/substract... all they need is fart apps...
  • Reply 47 of 76
    john.bjohn.b Posts: 2,742member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by lunga View Post


    Wrong. The average salary in China is like 2k. That means an iPhone costs nearly half their yearly salary.



    What's the distribution on that "average" of yours? Got any numbers to make that statistic relevant, like the std. dev. and maybe your source for the initial data?
  • Reply 48 of 76
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by jz1492 View Post


    Pricing the locally produced iPhone so high, even after considering the absence of any WiFi internals, may hint to an answer, because any pricing had to be set by the Chinese.



    Most Chinese companies are partially government owned, and here you have to keep in mind the communist definition of government as the one who keeps for the state all means of production and every market decision.



    Apple was supposed to help spread the chinese version of 3G, and probably the chinese version of WiFi as well, but with the current deal it is doing neither.



    My guess is Apple is being castigated by China.



    No they are not…



    And for anyone to suggest that Apple is being castigate by China, is only displaying their ignorance.



    Having just returned from China, again, capitalism is flourishing.



    There is no single or simple reason for the current situation. Aside from all the reasons posted above, one should keep in mind that most purchases by the Chinese are done in cash. You basically, don't buy anything until you have saved enough to do so. In fact, the only places that generally accept credit cards are hotels and major department stores. But to say that you can't buy on credit at all, is erroneous as well.



    There are a lot of very wealthy people in China. But the masses are excluded in this group. Their primary earnings go to existing, i.e., maintaing a roof over their heads and getting food in their stomachs. Accommodation and food in particular is extremely cheap in China. People just don't starve. And if anything, communism for all its faults is the primary reason for them being able to eat.



    Cell phones are popular. However, the luxury that we have here to surf at will, play games and be entertained is not in their make up. Just how much can one play if their total average income is only a couple of thousand dollars a year? They work too hard to just piss away their money to play or get off an instant message when most of their contacts are standing next to them.



    Knockoffs are available at Beijing's Pearl Market. However, just like their TB USB keys they try to pawn off on you, they just don't work. Only the tourists fall for the trap, the locals only laugh at you.



    While I was there, anytime that I took my iPhone out, whether at the University, the posh stores on Wangfujing or in Xi'san, or the markets or subways, there was noticeable little interest expressed by the folks around me. And that goes even while visiting the Apple Store in the Santilum shopping centre. Now there is a location that Apple should reconsider. Certainly on the Wangfujing walking street would be a better place. Higher end stores, but more important, amassively more traffic.



    As a sidebar, we had hired a taxi/guide to go to the Great Wall for the day. Driving a beautiful Audi, working 6 days a week and basically well entrenched in the higher income bracket, our guide looked at the iPhone as a luxury that just wasn't justified at the moment.



    His time, was made of working hard, meeting friends for dinner, sports, entertainment and travelling. His cell phone was used primarily for scheduling/confirming his business opportunities and calling friends to get together. As he said, "Maybe tomorrow. For sure. But not today."
  • Reply 49 of 76
    Long Duk Dong asked his two cousins in China about iPhone -- Hoo Flung Poo (author of Spots on The Wall), and Won Hung Lo (author of Broken Bra Strap).



    They say people no like iPhone because it is no good for making tea.



    They also say that "rott 'n' apple" sound like overweight, bitter virgin.



    No more yankee my wankee -- The Donger need food!
  • Reply 50 of 76
    addaboxaddabox Posts: 12,665member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by anakin1992 View Post


    too bad, not many ppl on this forum can do add/substract... all they need is fart apps...



    No doubt due to lack of edumacation in arithmaticics.
  • Reply 51 of 76
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Abster2core View Post


    There are a lot of very wealthy people in China. But the masses are excluded in this group. Their primary earnings go to existing, i.e., maintaing a roof over their heads and getting food in their stomachs.



    Nothing like the U.S.



  • Reply 52 of 76
    tbelltbell Posts: 3,146member
    Or at least used to make a decent living before we started giving wealthy corporations tax breaks to move their operations overseas to take advantage of what for most Americans would amount to slave labor.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by ruel24 View Post


    Does it have anything to do with the fact that the average worker doesn't make much money? It's not like here in the US or Europe where people make a decent living.



  • Reply 53 of 76
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by LongDukDong View Post


    Nothing like the U.S.







    Welcome to AI, and I look forward to your banning in the near future.
  • Reply 54 of 76
    nceencee Posts: 857member
    One would think that Apple WILL ask and find out why it's not selling, and fix the issue(s) as they become aware of them.



    This is way to BIG a market for Apple to not do what it has to, to sell more units there.



    I think with time, this will be a good thing for everyone, as the iPhone (and other toys from Apple) will just get better and better, cooler, neater and just more desirable as they make the needed changes.



    They WILL have 1 2 maybe 3 phones, that will end up working everywhere, they will just have to put in a chip or two, or take out something, OR make a universal iPhone, that gets activated in said country, allowing each feature to work as needed.



    Of course, this is only until Apple rules the world, and then everything they make will work everywhere, because Steve said so.



    Skip
  • Reply 55 of 76
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by SpamSandwich View Post


    Welcome to AI, and I look forward to your banning in the near future.



    The Donger say -- you have lots of posts! Screen name is good fit!
  • Reply 56 of 76
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by SpamSandwich View Post


    Welcome to AI, and I look forward to your banning in the near future.



    Should it have been:



    "Welcome back to AI, I look forward to your banning again in the near future."
  • Reply 57 of 76
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by teckstud View Post


    What are they? They prefer buttons? Don't like fart apps?



    Can someone tell me exactly how many fart apps are actually available in the app store? This whole "fart app thing" is such a dead-tired subject. I mean c'mon, there are multiple apps for everything. Why? Because it's an easy app and people like novelties and it's easy money I'm sure.



    There are also a lot of photo apps, language apps, social apps, music apps, drawing apps, etc. I could go on and on? What exactly is the point of mentioning fart apps as a way to diminish the iPhone and the iPhone platform? Let's move on already!
  • Reply 58 of 76
    jeffdmjeffdm Posts: 12,951member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by lunga View Post


    Wrong. The average salary in China is like 2k. That means an iPhone costs nearly half their yearly salary.



    The average isn't the whole story. Average is just one number and that doesn't tell us much about the distribution. I agree that there are a LOT of poor people in China. But there are a lot of people with disposable cash too. There was a news story a few months ago that showed there are more millionaires in China than in many Western European countries. Cities like Shanghai and Beijing are loaded with people that have money to spend.
  • Reply 59 of 76
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Abster2core View Post


    No they are not…



    ...And for anyone to suggest that Apple is being castigate by China, is only displaying their ignorance...



    So you know better because you were there... on tour?!



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Abster2core View Post


    Having just returned from China, again, capitalism is flourishing.



    Then why do they work as slaves, earn as slaves, talk like slaves (no criticism, no traces of self-interest, fearful of saying or doing the wrong thing, etc)?



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Abster2core View Post


    ...And if anything, communism for all its faults is the primary reason for them being able to eat...



    LOL. It was pure communism under Mao that caused the most deadly famine in human history. Communist North Korea doesn't need any natural disasters to constantly require food aid. In Cuba it is famous how they have had times when peas was all they had to eat... Oh, but they drink tons of KoolAid. Propaganda is an integral part of the left, from socialism to nazism. It shows you drank some of it.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Abster2core View Post


    ... However, the luxury that we have here to surf at will, play games and be entertained is not in their make up...



    OMG...<speechless>



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Abster2core View Post


    ... when most of their contacts are standing next to them.



    False. Most come from rural areas.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Abster2core View Post


    ... Only the tourists fall for the trap, the locals only laugh at you.



    Tourists



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Abster2core View Post


    ... Now there is a location that Apple should reconsider. Certainly on the Wangfujing walking street would be a better place. Higher end stores, but more important, amassively more traffic.



    If the Communist Party agrees



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Abster2core View Post


    ...our guide looked at the iPhone as a luxury that just wasn't justified at the moment.



    "Justified" is the word, "luxury" is the sin. In communism your LIFE has to be justified.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Abster2core View Post


    ... His time, was made of working hard, meeting friends for dinner, sports, entertainment and travelling. His cell phone was used primarily for scheduling/confirming his business opportunities and calling friends to get together...



    Mm a pretty active life indeed. I'd say an iPhone would be well justified.
  • Reply 60 of 76
    asciiascii Posts: 5,936member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by SpamSandwich View Post


    All cultures like fart jokes. True story.



    The Victorians? The Samurai?
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