Camera Phones Plaza

Although the gadget does not function properly and it costs twice as much as in the United States, the iPhone can be bought in China. Moreover, it appears that Apple Inc. does not even sell the phone there.

Still, people are willing to pay almost $1,170 for an iPhone, straight from the electronics markets in Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen and Guangzhou. And if that is not all, the Chinese version of the iPhone can make calls and send text messages, but it is unable to receive calls, and the voicemail function does not work as well.

While Apple is only selling the iPhone in the United States, where it is restricted to AT&T Inc.'s cellular network, hackers have been recently successful in unlocking the gadget so that it can be used on other carriers as well.

China has the world's largest number of mobile phone users and the market is expected to grow in the coming years as well. It is said that the number of Chinese mobile phone subscribers should reach 520 million this year, up from 460 million in 2006.

In a Beijing shop, there are almost 30 iPhone inquiries a day, from people who don't care about the phone's price or the fact that it is not fully functional. The phones come from the southern industrial boomtown of Shenzhen, but it is not known how the iPhones got to China in the first place.