Unicom unable to meet iPhone 4 demand

Apple’s (AAPL.NASDAQ) iPhone 4 went on sale in China on Saturday but mobile operator China Unicom (CHU.NYSE, 0762.HK) said it was unable to cope with demand for the smartphone, the Wall Street Journal reported. Unicom said it had received 200,000 preorders for the iPhone by Saturday, but just 40,000 orders were filled that day. The high interest in the iPhone 4 is in stark contrast to Unicom’s initial launch of the iPhone in China, when it sold 100,000 handsets in six weeks. Sales of the earlier model were hit by the long delay in officially introducing the iPhone to China – many users bought gray-market imports rather than wait for the official launch – and Chinese regulations at the time forced the removal of Wi-Fi services from the phone. Apple opened two new retail stores in China over the weekend – one in Beijing and one in Shanghai – doubling its retail presence in the mainland.