In most area , the arrival of the novel iPhone 4S might be cause for celebration among Apple fans . Whether that ’s the case in China — where acounterfeit “ iPhone 5 ” has been on salesince the autumn — remains to be seen . At least now the real thing is on its room .
Apple announced on Wednesdaythat it will launch the iPhone 4S in China — and 21 other countries — starting Friday , Jan. 13 . As in the United States , the 4S retails in China at $ 199 for the canonical 16 GB example , $ 299 for the 32 GB version , and $ 399 for for the 64 GB variant . Apple is also duplicating its U.S. prices for earlier iPhone model : The iPhone 4 costs $ 99 while the iPhone 3GS is free . A two - year wireless contract is required to incur the phone at those price , however .
Also on January 13 , the iPhone 4S will become available in Anguilla , Antigua and Barbuda , Bolivia , Botswana , British Virgin Islands , Cameroon , Cayman Islands , Central African Republic , China , Dominica , Dominican Republic , Ecuador , Grenada , Guam , Guinea Conakry , Ivory Coast , Jamaica , Kenya , Madagascar , Mali , Mauritius , Niger , Senegal , St. Vincent and The Grenadines , Trinidad and Tobago , Turks and Caicos , and Uganda .
But China is clearly the key market place among those countries . The country surpass the United States asthe man ’s biggest consumer of smartphones in 2011 . Apple has see that maturation in its own business , with China — together with Hong Kong and Taiwan — becoming its secondly - biggest market in the third quarter of last year . Apple has six stores in the food market now , let in Hong Kong and Shanghai locations that opened in 2011 .
Many American companies sound off about counterfeit merchandise sell illegally in China , but Apple may have one big reward over its rivals : Price . Illicit reading of the iPhone 4Shave sold in that country for as much as $ 2,000.In this fount , at least , authenticity may be a real steal .
