Pudding and Chopsticks

I have joined the not so elite club of Iphone ownership. I put down a deposit on a New Iphone 4 from China Unicom. Why just get an Iphone 4 now.. Well they just came out here in Sept of last year. Then you had to wait because all the effing scalpers bought them, etc.. So, even if I wait for an Iphone 5 I would have wait till something like Sept. again. If not later. My dictionary on my Nokia blows, and lately I’ve been wanting to study more Chinese.. They best way I am thinking is through the Iphone. Pleco offers some killer dictionaries and what not. Should be a rave.. I’ve also been itching to play some Angry Birds.. So that’s pretty much why I don’t want to wait. I also don’t think that they are really going to come out with anything revolutionary. Think about it. They just sold a S ton of Iphone 4s. Why come out with a bad ass phone when everyone is locked in for two years with At&t and Version… Like the 3G to 3Gs was, I think it will just be an upgrade. The next killer one should be the Iphone 6.. But lets not get ahead of ourselves.

Lets look at the fine print.

I get a Iphone 4 Chinese version. There are some issues with maps, and a few other things but for the most part, I don’t care. If I move away from China I can just jailbreak it and restore it to a different version or fix these issues. So for the most part. It’s an Iphone 4.

The way mobile plans work here is different from the States. In fact I like it much, much better. You still are locked in for 2 years but it’s a tad different.

Alright. I am going for the 16GB one. The first one on the left with an orange 0. So I got to pay 5880 元 or about 859 USD. Now before you get your panties in a bunch listen up. This is a 2 year deal. I pay 5880 they give me 245 back each month for my “service.” The service plan is 286 per month. Leaving me to pay 41  x24 or 984 元. For a total of 6864元 or so. So for 2 years service and an Iphone 4 I pay 1,042USD. That’s right folks. I basically get a free Iphone. No wait, I do get a free Iphone, well providing I stay with them for the two years. If not I basically bought an Iphone 4. So really it doesn’t matter.

At At&t an Iphone 4 will cost 199USD plus service for two years, data (2GB) 29.99USD/Month and talk 59.99USD/Month.  2358.52USD Not including taxes, 911 fee, service fee, etc…  Now my plan will be 1,042USD with a 1.1gb plan. If we up it to be as close as we can to 2. We are at a 1.6gb plan and BAM,  1260.48USD. Probably about half of what it cost in the States. And if I want to leave I can. There is no termination fee, although you don’t get your prepaid two years back, so you basically bought a phone. For instance, if you leave half way through, you just bought an Iphone 4 for 500USD. If you stay two years the phone is free. If you bail within the first month, the phone cost you the total amount, 1042USD or whatever plan you opted for.

In a place where there are no subsidised phones it’s not bad. But yes you do lose your ass if you leave early. The phone is unlocked but you can’t use it with another sim. If you do China Unicom locks your account. But you can use it with other sims if you wanted to.

I’m pretty stoked. It will be my first iOS device. Should be cool. If anything it will make me look hip, trendy and in the know.. Everything I always wanted.

I forgot to mention that I asked the dear sweet girl what I needed to bring tomorrow. She replies, money. Haha. I was expecting for them to say bring my passport. But I would rather not have them know that the phone number belongs to a foreigner. I’m secretly hoping that I don’t need to bring it. I probably will just in case. If they ask, I’ll have to give it to them, or rather, maybe I will lie, throw a big hissy fit, blame it on the girl that said just to bring money and then demand compensation like two free phone cases.. That’s what Chinese girl would do… Haha.. Got to get your own here..

I’m here in the States but that doesn’t mean that I’m not keeping abreast on the latest happenings over yonder.

I would like to get an Iphone 4 but it’s ungodly difficult to do. Unless I pay a butt load on the black market. Recently China released the Iphone 4 through China Unicom. It’s a good deal. 2 yrs a nationwide number, and if you stay there the two years basically the phone is free. If you bail early you bought the phone for full price. Which is what you have to do if you don’t have China Unicom for phone service. I see it as phone service for 2 years for free. Anyway they have had so many people want to sign up and do this that they don’t have any phones left. Really? I can’t even get an Iphone through the legal channels.

If you want to buy the phone though one of four Apple stores in China good luck. It seems that scalpers have bought 30-40 at a time and are slinging them outside the store for 10% more than you can buy them in the store. Which wouldn’t work if THE STORE WEREN’T SOLD OUT. The scalpers bought them all and not the only way to get a new one is through them.

Apple has since fixed the problem and now requires ID to purchase one phone. But really, who didn’t see this coming.

Links to the stories.

Gizmodo

MIC Gadget

Capitalism Fail.

My current phone is a Nokia E71. It’s actually a pretty cool phone. It just lacks a cool UI and programs/applications. Thusly I am going to buy the new Iphone 4 when is comes out in Hong Kong. To the tune of 600USD.

It’s so expensive because it’s unlocked. All phones in China are because you can switch companies, get new numbers, and do pretty much whatever you want whenever you want. Which is awesome. What a specific number, ok, a new number, ok, only want to pay so much money per money, that’s ok too.

I have an Apple guy. He takes care of all the foreigners in the old city I lived in. He is priced fair, gives better service then the Apple stores in the States, and will do whatever you ask within reason.  I have to wait for the phone to come out in Hong Kong and then for him to “smuggle” some across to China. Maybe he doesn’t even have to do that. I mean the factory that makes the Iphone is only an hour away. He might have a connection there. But in any case it’s going to be probably another month. I got to keep it fresh with the bling you know. Haha.

Speaking of keeping it fresh. I need to get new number. I saw one that was something like 158088088008 or something. Chinese love 8′s. This bad boy was 90USD. 600 yuan or so. About 1/4 to 1/2 a workers wage per month. Maybe I’ll snatch it up. Surely it will give me instant face among the ladies. Yeah my number is ling ba ba ling ba ba ling ba ba ba haha. Love it.