Denying the denial
Two minor corrections ... Zhou Youmeng is with Guangdong Unicom (the subsidiary of China Unicom) and Yu Zaonan is also with Guangdong Unicom not China Mobile.
Despite this denial, Zhou Fang, the CBN reporter who broke the story, stands by his report and states that he made audio recordings of the interviews with the Guangdong Unicom executives (Zhou Youmeng and Yu Zaonan) who spilled the beans.
Adding further legitimacy to the original CBN report is a post today (8/14) on Interfax TMT (sourcing another China Unicom insider who validates the 5 million claim) and the news today from a Carrefour source. Chongqing Evening News, quoting a Carrefour employee, states that the iPhone in China deal is a "go" and Carrefour would indeed be part of the distribution plan. The report states that iPhones could be ready to go on sale as early as late August and that Carrefour stores in Guangzhou and other costal areas have begun preparing store displays.
DoNews in China, citing “unnamed sources,” claims that China Unicom’s handset distribution division Vsens intends to have two other iPhone distribution channels (aside from retail chains including Carrefour), Gome and Suning. iPhonAsia (yours truly) had previously speculated that retail chains distributing iPhones might include Best Buy China and Wal-Mart China.
More w source links > http://iphonasia.com/?p=6069
Biting the hand that feeds IT
