And the soon-to-be released Ophone from China Unicom's rival, China Mobile. On top of that, analysts say Unicom has set iPhone prices too high for average consumers and advertising has been scarce.

"China Unicom, however, has not shown itself to be very adept at marketing. I'd like to say that China Unicom has never missed an opportunity to miss an opportunity."

So there definitely are some skeptics out there about how well the iPhone will do in China. A limited selection of the applications can be purchased online at the Apple Store, but Unicom says the phone will pay for itself if you buy a two-year coverage plan and whether it's selling on the white market or the grey market, analysts say Apple is happy. It's all about volume and Apple is playing a global game.