iPhone 4S Rollout Continues in China and 21 Other Countries on January 13

by

iphone 4s china
Apple today announced that it will be launching the iPhone 4S in 22 new countries on Friday, January 13, with China being the featured addition for this round of debuts.

“Customer response to our products in China has been off the charts,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “With the launch in China next week, iPhone 4S will be available in over 90 countries making this our fastest iPhone rollout ever.”

China Unicom has been the exclusive official iPhone carrier in China, and Apple's press release gives no indication whether the device will be expanded to new carriers there.

The full list of launch countries includes: Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Bolivia, Botswana, British Virgin Islands, Cameroon, Cayman Islands, Central African Republic, China, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Grenada, Guam, Guinea Conakry, Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Kenya, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritius, Niger, Senegal, St. Vincent and The Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos and Uganda.

Related Forum: iPhone

Popular Stories

iOS 26

15 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 26.2

Friday December 5, 2025 9:40 am PST by
Apple is about to release iOS 26.2, the second major point update for iPhones since iOS 26 was rolled out in September, and there are at least 15 notable changes and improvements worth checking out. We've rounded them up below. Apple is expected to roll out iOS 26.2 to compatible devices sometime between December 8 and December 16. When the update drops, you can check Apple's servers for the ...
Read Full Article • 49 comments
Intel Inside iPhone Feature

Apple's Return to Intel Rumored to Extend to iPhone

Friday December 5, 2025 10:08 am PST by
Intel is expected to begin supplying some Mac and iPad chips in a few years, and the latest rumor claims the partnership might extend to the iPhone. In a research note with investment firm GF Securities this week, obtained by MacRumors, analyst Jeff Pu said he and his colleagues "now expect" Intel to reach a supply deal with Apple for at least some non-pro iPhone chips starting in 2028....
Read Full Article • 148 comments
Photos App Icon Liquid Glass

John Gruber Shares Scathing Commentary About Apple's Departing Software Design Chief

Thursday December 4, 2025 9:30 am PST by
In a statement shared with Bloomberg on Wednesday, Apple confirmed that its software design chief Alan Dye will be leaving. Apple said Dye will be succeeded by Stephen Lemay, who has been a software designer at the company since 1999. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced that Dye will lead a new creative studio within the company's AR/VR division Reality Labs. On his blog Daring Fireball,...
Read Full Article • 318 comments
ive and altman

Jony Ive's OpenAI Device Barred From Using 'io' Name

Friday December 5, 2025 6:22 am PST by
A U.S. appeals court has upheld a temporary restraining order that prevents OpenAI and Jony Ive's new hardware venture from using the name "io" for products similar to those planned by AI audio startup iyO, Bloomberg Law reports. iyO sued OpenAI earlier this year after the latter announced its partnership with Ive's new firm, arguing that OpenAI's planned "io" branding was too close to its...
Read Full Article • 52 comments
iOS 26

Apple Seeds iOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2 Release Candidates to Developers and Public Beta Testers

Wednesday December 3, 2025 10:33 am PST by
Apple today seeded the release candidate versions of upcoming iOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2 updates to developers and public beta testers, with the software coming two weeks after Apple seeded the third betas. The release candidates represent the final versions of iOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2 that will be provided to the public if no further bugs are found during this final week of testing....
Read Full Article • 40 comments
iphone air camera

iPhone Air's Resale Value Has Dropped Dramatically, Data Shows

Thursday December 4, 2025 5:27 am PST by
The iPhone Air has recorded the steepest early resale value drop of any iPhone model in years, with new data showing that several configurations have lost almost 50% of their value within ten weeks of launch. According to a ten-week analysis published by SellCell, Apple's latest lineup is showing a pronounced split in resale performance between the iPhone 17 models and the iPhone Air....
Read Full Article • 206 comments
iPhone 17 Pro Cosmic Orange

iPhone 17 Pro Lost a Camera Feature Pro Models Have Had Since 2020

Thursday December 4, 2025 5:18 am PST by
iPhone 17 Pro models, it turns out, can't take photos in Night mode when Portrait mode is selected in the Camera app – a capability that's been available on Apple's Pro devices since the iPhone 12 Pro in 2020. If you're an iPhone 17 Pro or iPhone 17 Pro Max owner, try it for yourself: Open the Camera app with Photo selected in the carousel, then cover the rear lenses with your hand to...
Read Full Article • 50 comments
ios 18 to ios 26 upgrade

Apple Pushes iPhone Users Still on iOS 18 to Upgrade to iOS 26

Tuesday December 2, 2025 11:09 am PST by
Apple is encouraging iPhone users who are still running iOS 18 to upgrade to iOS 26 by making the iOS 26 software upgrade option more prominent. Since iOS 26 launched in September, it has been displayed as an optional upgrade at the bottom of the Software Update interface in the Settings app. iOS 18 has been the default operating system option, and users running iOS 18 have seen iOS 18...
Read Full Article • 274 comments
iPhone 17 Pro Cosmic Orange

10 Reasons to Wait for Next Year's iPhone 18 Pro

Monday December 1, 2025 2:40 am PST by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models at the same time, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 18 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. One thing worth...
Read Full Article • 107 comments
maxresdefault

iPhone Fold: Launch, Pricing, and What to Expect From Apple's Foldable

Monday December 1, 2025 3:00 am PST by
Apple is expected to launch a new foldable iPhone next year, based on multiple rumors and credible sources. The long-awaited device has been rumored for years now, but signs increasingly suggest that 2026 could indeed be the year that Apple releases its first foldable device. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Below, we've collated an updated set of key details that ...
Read Full Article • 56 comments

Top Rated Comments

ChinaRye Avatar
ChinaRye
182 months ago
North Korea gets screwed again!
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
HishamAkhtar Avatar
HishamAkhtar
182 months ago
No it isn't really as it only received regulatory approval last week.

Good news is (for me) that I just picked up a 4S in Szechuan for half the price the scalpers were asking last month and cheaper than I could buy it in the UK which was was my other option when I returned there for business in a months time.

Fair enough. Have you checked out Hong Kong? They have the cheapest Apple products that i've seen anywhere! (after conversion)[COLOR="#808080"]

----------

No it isn't really as it only received regulatory approval last week.

Good news is (for me) that I just picked up a 4S in Szechuan for half the price the scalpers were asking last month and cheaper than I could buy it in the UK which was was my other option when I returned there for business in a months time.

Fair enough. Have you checked out Hong Kong? They have the cheapest Apple products that i've seen anywhere! (after conversion)

----------



I think even if it was given regulatory approval sooner it would have have been difficult to provide the numbers to satisfy demand any earlier.

And Siri works very well in UK English here :)

You speak English in China?! :D
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
festerfeet Avatar
festerfeet
182 months ago
Surprised the 4S came out so late in China considering the market...

No it isn't really as it only received regulatory approval last week.

Good news is (for me) that I just picked up a 4S in Szechuan for half the price the scalpers were asking last month and cheaper than I could buy it in the UK which was was my other option when I returned there for business in a months time.

----------

Surprised the 4S came out so late in China considering the market...

I think even if it was given regulatory approval sooner it would have have been difficult to provide the numbers to satisfy demand any earlier.

And Siri works very well in UK English here :)
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
wackymacky Avatar
wackymacky
182 months ago
So now the Chinese can stop buying our phones in the US and shipping them to China?
Yes, just think of the carbon footprint; exporting them from China to the US, just to turn the ship around and send them back.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
bushido Avatar
bushido
182 months ago
I notice that Siri isn't mentioned in this ad... odd. Although location based services won't work, phone specific ones should. I wonder why the omission?

Siri only works in english, french and german so far plus localization stuff with siri is us only
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
vartanarsen Avatar
vartanarsen
182 months ago
Sorry Asian Scalpers on lines....Your Time is UP:)))) I cant wait to see your face when you see normal people walking into a China Apple Store....and not funding your scalping operation
Score: 0 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Read All Comments