More than 200,000 Apple iPhone 4s have been snapped up in China within days of going on sale while waiting lists stretch to the end of October.
Apple’s mobile operator partner China Unicom said 100,000 units were sold in the first four days and another 100,000 are on back order, the China Daily reported.
"The sales of previous versions of iPhones created a solid foundation for the iPhone 4," China Unicom senior vice-president Li Gang said.
The 16-gigabyte version, which has wireless Internet capability, is priced at RMB4,999 (US$744) while the 32G model sells for RMB5,999 (US$896). The phone is being sold at Apple stores in Beijing and Shanghai, China Unicom outlets and other consumer electronics stores.
AFP reported that 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 reservations.