Rumor: China Unicom Blocks Online iPhone Sales
CCTIME, 11/10/09
Several domestic online retailers have reportedly stopped iPhone sales altogether or moved the smartphone from their prominent features to buried listings. Shanghai-based e-commerce platform Newegg has stopped selling iPhones completely, and the iPhone has been removed from the sales pages of Beijing-based online retailer 360Buy, though it can still be found via category search. Some websites have reported that online sales of the iPhone were not permitted due to China Unicom's (NYSE: CHU; 0762.HK; 600050.SH) sales channel policy. However, representatives from both China Unicom and Apple have denied this, saying that China Unicom's channel policies have not changed. One China Unicom representative said that currently the only online retailers offering the iPhone are China Unicom's online service center and the official site of China Unicom's handset sales subsidiary Unicom Huasheng Telecommunications.
Keywords: China Unicom e-commerce iPhone handset smartphone wireless Newegg 360buy Unicom Huasheng 0762.HK 600050.SH CHU