China Unicom manages to make the iPhone boring

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Beijing Youth Daily
October 27, 2009

Believe it or not, that’s an iPhone ad at the bottom of the front page of today’s Beijing Youth Daily. No flashy graphics, little color, and press-release-style copy:

iPhone Comes to China: Beijing Launch Announcement

From 6 pm on October 30 through 6 am on October 31, China Unicom will launch the iPhone into the mainland China market with the help of a number of mystery guests. Customers will be able to purchase all iPhone 3G models and China Unicom iPhone 3G packages on-site. On the day of the launch, customers who purchase a China Unicom iPhone will receive a numbered Certificate of Purchase at the Beijing iPhone Launch, a limited-edition t-shirt, and other special gifts. Consumers in Beijing are welcome to attend the festivities and to purchase products at the earliest possible moment.

China United Network Communications Group Co., Ltd

2009.10.27

The same dry announcement showed up on the front page of The Beijing News and the Beijing Times.

Maybe China Unicom figures that anticipation among Chinese Apple fans can’t possibly get any higher.

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In actual news, the paper’s front-page image shows Sun Zhongjie reacting to the news that the government of Shanghai’s Pudong District has admitted that law enforcement officers used entrapment to charge him with operating an unlicensed cab.

Sun had given a lift to a pedestrian who left 10 yuan behind when he left Sun’s minibus, after which traffic officers arrived to seize his vehicle. The experience drove Sun to cut off his finger in protest and captured the attention of the mainstream media.

ESWN has a comprehensive round-up of news articles on the entire affair.

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