Apple launches iPhone 4 in China

Apple has launched the latest version of its iPhone in China and boosted its presence in the world's biggest Internet and mobile market by opening another two stores in Beijing and Shanghai.

The new Apple stores in Beijing and Shanghai bring the company's total to four in China - two in each city. It plans to have 25 shops in the country by the end of next year.

The iPhone 4 - something of a status symbol in China - is available in Apple stores, as well as at China Unicom retail outlets for buyers who sign a two-year contract with the operator.

The 16-gigabyte version of the smartphone, which will have wireless Internet capability, will cost 4,999 yuan at Apple stores with the 32-gigabyte selling for 5,999 yuan.

China Unicom, the country's second-largest mobile phone operator, took nearly 50,000 pre-orders for the iPhone 4 on September 17, the opening day for such reservations.

With the two-year contract, the 16-gigabyte will sell for 5,880 yuan while the 32-gigabyte version will cost 6,999 yuan.

The iPhone 4 made its debut in China just a week after Apple officially launched the iPad in the country, with some customers queuing up for several days to ensure they got their hands on the tablet computer.

Both products have been available for several months on China's grey market, which has been booming thanks to great demand for Apple goods.

The earlier version of the iPhone only officially went on sale in China last October - more than two years after its US launch.

Consumers have had a shorter wait for the iPhone 4 and iPad - the latest version of the smartphone was released in June in France, Britain, Germany, Japan and the United States.
The iPad made its US debut in April.

China has at least 420 million web users and is also the world's largest mobile market with more than 800 million subscribers as of the end of June.

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