As reported by Reuters, a growing number of Chinese vendors are already taking orders for the highly anticipated and much rumored “iPhone 5″. Despite the fact that Apple isn’t expected to announce their next-generation iPhone until sometime this fall, certain Chinese distributors are already accepting deposits for the mysterious device – one seller has even been reported as charging upwards of 6,999 yuan (or $1,100 USD) to “pre-purchase” the upcoming iPhone:
Sellers on Taobao, a unit of Alibaba Group, are accepting orders for the iPhone 5, in some cases asking for a deposit of 1,000 yuan ($160) for the new phone. One seller, “Dahai99888″, who started accepting pre-orders this week, is asking for full payment upfront, at a cool 6,999 yuan ($1,100).
Taobao sellers that Reuters spoke with said they planned to buy the iPhone 5 in Hong Kong or the United States and then bring it to mainland China. Apple products are often available in Hong Kong before they are released on the mainland.
Moreover, the sellers from Taobao will apparently buy the iPhones in either the United States or Hong Kong before importing them to China and delivering them to the customers who have already pre-purchased or placed a deposit for the device. Needless to say, there isn’t an estimated delivery time – however, it will likely be some time after the next-generation iPhone officially goes on sale.
Also, the report also suggests that there has been a dramatic increase in the number of cases sold in a similar manner as the distributors who are reportedly taking orders for Apple’s next-generation iPhone.
Stay tuned for additional coverage on Apple and their upcoming sixth-generation iPhone.
