China Unicom takes over 200K iPhone 5 reservations
updated 05:05 pm EST, Thu December 6, 2012
Phone falls to sixth place in Chinese market
China Unicom has already recorded over 200,000 reservations for the iPhone 5, the carrier has announced. It hit the mark in just two days, doubling the 100,000 achieved during the first day. Unicom is also saying that it will offer a full subsidy for the handset, but with a minimum deposit of 5,899 RMB (about $947 US) for a 16GB model. That money will be refunded on a monthly basis, with the exact credit depending on the length of the contract. 32 and 64GB models are also available, but with higher deposits.
New IDC numbers quoted by Reuters indicate that the iPhone fell to sixth place in the Chinese smartphone market during the third quarter. Previously the company held fourth place. IDC's analysts suggest, though, that the slip may be temporary, since the iPhone 5 is only coming to China on the 14th. In general, the iPhone tends to lose ground in a market during the quarter immediately before a hardware refresh.
Phones from Samsung, Lenovo, and Coolpad took the top three positions in China. ZTE fell one spot to fourth, while Huawei held on to fifth.
