英语杂谈：28 Iphone hits China

It's always been made in China, but this is the first time it's been sold in China. The iPhone officially goes on sale today at Apple and telecom partner China Unicom's stores across the mainland. But it's got an eye-popping price tag from 700 to more than 1000 U.S. dollars, and the catch is the first batch¹ of iPhones do not have Wi-Fi, that's in compliance² with the Chinese government regulations. Now unofficially, the iPhone has been selling on the grey market in China for more than two years. It's estimated two million iPhones are already being used here, most of them smuggled³ in from the U.S. and Hong Kong. We went to Beijing's biggest electronics market to see how it's done.

Not only do they have Wi-Fi, but iPhones on the grey market in China are cheaper, too.
"Is it really easy to get?"
"Yes."
"Very convenient", she says. "I've just popped in a SIM card and downloaded the applications I wanted."
I decided⁴ to try for myself.
"Do you have iPhones? How do I know that this is real?"
"This one is new. You can believe me. You must believe me."
"Okay, so this is a real iPhone that they smuggled in from the United States."
We're tring to log on to BAIDU.COM, China's largest search engine, and there it is - Wi-Fi enabled.
"So how much is this? Alright, now we start the bargaining process."
She agreed to sell it to me for less than $500, then there is the rest of the competition, like counterfeit⁵ iPhones.

He's saying he'll sell it to me for 600 yuan, less than 100 dollars.

And the soon-to-be released Ophone from China Unicom's rival, China Mobile. On top of that, analysts⁶ say Unicom has set iPhone prices too high for average consumers and advertising⁷ has been scarce.

"China Unicom, however, has not shown itself to be very adept⁸ at marketing⁹. I'd like to say that China Unicom has never missed an opportunity to miss an opportunity."

So there definitely are some skeptics out there about how well the iPhone will do in China. A limited selection of the applications can be purchased online at the Apple Store, but Unicom says the phone will pay for itself if you buy a two-year coverage¹⁰ plan and whether it's selling on the white market or the grey market, analysts say Apple is happy. It's all about volume and Apple is playing a global game.
 

1 batch   

n.一批(组，群)；一批生产量

参考例句：

• The first batch of cakes was burnt.第一炉蛋糕烤焦了。
• I have a batch of letters to answer.我有一批信要回复。

2 compliance   

n.顺从；服从；附和；屈从

参考例句：

• I was surprised by his compliance with these terms.我对他竟然依从了这些条件而感到吃惊。
• She gave up the idea in compliance with his desire.她顺从他的愿望而放弃自己的主意。

3 smuggled   

水货

参考例句：

• The customs officer confiscated the smuggled goods. 海关官员没收了走私品。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Those smuggled goods have been detained by the port office. 那些走私货物被港务局扣押了。 来自互联网

4 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

5 counterfeit   

vt.伪造，仿造；adj.伪造的，假冒的

参考例句：

• It is a crime to counterfeit money.伪造货币是犯罪行为。
• The painting looked old but was a recent counterfeit.这幅画看上去年代久远，实际是最近的一幅赝品。

6 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

7 advertising   

n.广告业；广告活动 a.广告的；广告业务的

参考例句：

• Can you give me any advice on getting into advertising? 你能指点我如何涉足广告业吗?
• The advertising campaign is aimed primarily at young people. 这个广告宣传运动主要是针对年轻人的。

8 adept   

adj.老练的，精通的

参考例句：

• When it comes to photography,I'm not an adept.要说照相，我不是内行。
• He was highly adept at avoiding trouble.他十分善于避开麻烦。

9 marketing   

n.行销，在市场的买卖，买东西

参考例句：

• They are developing marketing network.他们正在发展销售网络。
• He often goes marketing.他经常去市场做生意。

10 coverage   

n.报导，保险范围，保险额，范围，覆盖

参考例句：

• There's little coverage of foreign news in the newspaper.报纸上几乎没有国外新闻报道。
• This is an insurance policy with extensive coverage.这是一项承保范围广泛的保险。