[科技前沿]中国大陆用户如何“抢鲜”体验iPhone

Apple Readies iPhone For China Launch

IPhone's Been A Long Time Comin' In China. Some Consumers Couldn't Wait

Even as Apple (AAPL) gears up to officially launch the iPhone in China, as many as 1.5 million consumers in China have already managed to get their hands on one through various unofficial channels. Below, the main methods for buying an iPhone (or something resembling one) in China now.

Gray Market

A Beijing Internet company employee - who asks that only his surname, Shang, be used - bought his first-generation iPhone at mobile-phone market in the capital's famed Zhongguancun electronics shopping district, just a few months after its June 2007 release in the U.S. He paid 5,500 yuan, or about $800, for the privilege of being one of China's earliest iPhone adopters.

'I was very much interested in its large touch-screen design. At the same time, it also serves as a multimedia player and game machine. I was attracted by all these functions,' he says. An Apple lover, Shang counts many of the company's products among his gadgets: MacBook Pro, Mac Mini, iPod Classic and iPod Nano.

Shang divides iPhone users into two groups: Those simply fascinated by its unique design; and those with a thorough understanding of Apple products and the Mac operating system. 'I purchase applications in App Store and download the de-coded ones from the Web as well,' Shang says. 'I also use Mobile Me service, which is a good combination with iPhone.'

Still, he points out a few problems using his iPhone. 'For instance, the input method is not good and convenient enough' for writing Chinese characters. 'It's not easy to forward messages. When trying to open a couple of Web pages at the same time, the browser might refuse to work.'

'But still, I think it's already the best high-end phone, even with these many problems,' he says.

Jessica Wu, a 26-year-old trading company employee in Nanjing, bought her 8-gigabyte iPhone for about $670 at a mobile phone market in Feb. 2008. Her unit is 'jailbroken,' which allows her to download applications from Apple's App Store. One problem with her phone is that every time she upgrades the software, she has to jailbreak it again. 'Original iPhones can be upgraded directly through iTunes, which is more convenient.'

But it's a small price to pay, she says. 'To some extent, iphone and other Apple products are considered a status symbol.'

Buying Outside China

Zhang May, a 28-year-old from Shanghai asked a friend to buy her an iPhone in the U.S. two years ago. She paid $399. 'I chose iPhone because of its good brand, good quality and good function,' she said. Zhang says she's had no major problems using her jailbroken iPhone in China.

Hong Kong a self-run Chinese city where the iPhone is already officially sold has been a popular place to pick up a legally unlocked iPhones without a SIM card or any type of commitment to a local cellular plan. Mainland Chinese residents can visit the city easier these days than in the past, and those who have access to a Hong Kong mailing address can also make purchases via Hong Kong's online Apple Store. Current prices range from HK$4,488 to HK$6,288, or about $580 to $810.

The Shanzhai Route

Those with less money can hope that the iPhone's official launch in China will bring lower prices. Or, as many in China have done already, they may just seek to satisfy their yearning for the iPhone look from one of the numerous shanzhai versions for sale in China's mobile phone markets, often alongside the real (gray market) iPhones. Often-seen copycats include the 'HiPhone' the 'iPhone Mini' and the 'iOrgane.'

虽然苹果公司(Apple)加快了在中国正式推出iPhone，但中国至多有150万消费者已经通过各种非官方渠道弄到了iPhone。以下是目前在中国买到iPhone（或山寨iPhone）的几种主要途径。

灰色市场

模特儿正在展示iPhone（照片摄于香港）2007年6月，第一代iPhone在美国发布，过了没几个月，北京一家互联网公司的员工小尚（音）在有名的中关村电子商业区的手机市场买了一台。他花了人民币5,500元（约合800美元），成了中国最早用上iPhone的人之一。

他说，我对它的大尺寸触摸屏设计非常感兴趣。同时它还可以作为多媒体播放器和游戏机。这些功能都吸引了我。身为苹果发烧友的小尚列举了他拥有的诸多苹果产品：MacBook Pro笔记本电脑、Mac Mini台式电脑，还有iPod Classic和iPod Nano两款播放器。

小尚将iPhone用户分为两类：一类是单纯地为其独特的设计着迷；另一类则对苹果产品和Mac操作系统有着深入了解。他说，我会从App Store购买应用软件，也会在网上下载经过解码的软件。我还使用苹果的Mobile Me服务，它跟iPhone结合得很好。

不过他也指出了使用iPhone的一些问题。比如说汉字输入法就不太好，不够方便。转发信息很难。同时打开几个网页时，浏览器可能无法运行。

他说，不过我还是觉得即使有这些问题，它也已经是最好的高端手机了。

26岁的Jessica Wu是南京一家贸易公司的职员，她2008年2月在一家手机市场以大约670美元买了自己那台8G的iPhone。她那台iPhone是破解版，可以从苹果的App Store下载应用软件。她使用中的一个问题是，每次升级软件时都必须重新破解。她说，原版iPhone可以直接通过iTunes升级，更方便。

她说，不过这只是个小小的代价。在某种程度上，iPhone和其他苹果产品被视为一种身份的象征。

从国外买

28岁的张梅（音）来自上海，两年前她让朋友帮忙从美国买了一台iPhone，花了399美元。她说，我选择iPhone是因为它的品牌、质量和功能都很棒。她说自己在中国使用破解过的iPhone没遇到过什么大问题。

作为中国特区的香港已经有iPhone的官方版出售，许多人都喜欢到香港买合法解锁的iPhone，不带SIM卡，也不在香港入网。中国大陆居民现在到香港比以前更换容易，而如果有香港通信地址的话，还可以通过香港的网络苹果商店(Apple Store)购买。目前的价格从4,488港元（约580美元）到6,288港元（约810美元）不等。

“山寨”路线

没那么有钱的人们可以寄希望于iPhone在中国官方发布时价格会低点。或是像中国许多人已经做出的那样，他们可以在手机市场里的无数山寨版iPhone中来上一台，满足自己对iPhone外观的渴望，这些山寨iPhone常常跟“灰色市场”的正品iPhone摆在一起。常见的山寨版包括“HiPhone”、“iPhone Mini”和“桔子手机”（iOrgane)。