China Unicom (Hong Kong) Ltd. has reportedly finalized the introduction of iPhone 4 into China, with the 16GB and 32GB versions priced at CNY 5,880 and CNY 6,999 respectively.
The leading telecommunications carrier is rumored to have given an order to clear its stock of iPhones in preparation for the debut of the new iPhone 4 in the Chinese market.
China Unicom signed a contract with Apple Inc. in October 2009 to sell two million iPhones within a year. The company has sold about 700,000 iPhones by the end of June.
China Unicom currently has inventory of 150,000 iPhones and that the iPhone 4 may be launched in China between mid August and the beginning of September.
Apple unveiled the newest iPhone mode on June 7 and launched the iPhone 4 on June 24. The iPhone 4 will be shipped to 17 new international markets, Hong Kong included, this Friday, making the device available in a total of 22 countries.
Executives from various departments of China Unicom denied the rumor, saying they had never heard of such a policy. Some of them even got aggravated at the rumor.