China Unicom is now accepting pre-orders for the iPhone 4 in China. Users will pay RMB5,880 to RMB6,999 (US$874 to US$1,040) upfront to get an iPhone with a deposit toward two years of service. Sales have picked up after a slow start, but the iPhone has yet to reach the kind of demand in China that it has achieved in the US and other markets. As of the second quarter, Apple ranked fifth in the smartphone market with a 7.1% share in sales. The Wall Street Journal quoted Shaun Rein, managing director of China Market Research Group, as saying it will take more for China Unicom to lure users away from China Mobile. Rein said the expensive price "doesn’t give them incentive to switch away from China Mobile."
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