The iPhone has just launched in China, to tepid demand, “subdued” sales, and high, high prices. For the first time, the Jesus Phone seems not to be storming the burning fields.
AppleInsider has reported that reports from around the nation did not indicate significant demand for the phone. Of course, the iPhone in China has been crippled, having its WiFi removed. This was of course due to a Chinese government restriction on standards, which could change in the future.
But, it would seem that the largest and most constant miff with the device is its high price. The phone costs a stunning $1000 dollars without a contract in China, a stiff price increase over the $600 that the phone costs in the United States unsubsidized.
That high price combined with the current economic state of the world, and crippled connectivity have turned what could have been the biggest launch of the iPhone so far, into a flop.
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Of course, Apple could turn this around by cutting prices, and promising to get the WiFi working, but those measures would take time. For now witness the rare misstep in the life of the iPhone, and the even rarer misstep in the launch of an Apple product.
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