Had a very eye-opening discussion with a China based developer today. Asking if he is going to buy a 3GS as a testing device, he told me that he indeed visited a Unicom Shop to check for prices yesterday.
With a sobering result.
“Official” iPhones are sold without Wifi in China and at a price that is 15% higher than the established black market price. Wifi is a killer feature as there is also no unlimited data plan. And with two million devices sold through the black market, this is far from being a sleazy or unorganized structure. In fact that market is well established and accessible to everybody, including services to get you the apps you want.
This failure has nothing to do with Chinese mentality, which I experienced to be a very honest if given a chance. But a 15% higher purchase price for a crippled device lacking one of the most essential features, after such a long waiting time? This current strategy is bound to fail and I wonder who came up with it in the first place. Almost strikes me as staged.
Are you thinking about translating your apps? Think again.
