Impatient consumers are apparently able to purchase the unreleased Apple product at select electronic stores in the Zhongguancun area of Beijing, reports Caixin.

Enterprising stores are reportedly selling “US versions” and “Hong Kong versions” of the newest iteration of the popular smart phone for a price of RMB 28,000 (around US $4,500).

A popular electronic retail center in Zhongguancun, Beijing.

However, it’s tough to get a look at one of these devices, if the stores even have them. The shops are asking for money up front, and then say they will “set up an appointment” for you.

Industry experts are warning consumers to be wary of fraud, of course. The iPhone 6, once released, will cost a fraction of what these shops are charging.

Photo: zol, kemaiyixian

One woman in Hunan doesn’t think so. She claims her iPhone 5s got so hot it burned her face. Doctors at the Zhuzhou People’s Hospital say the burn marks are indeed the result of “electric radiation burn”.

It all happened in July, when Su Jing from Zhuzhou, Henan was having a long talk on her iPhone 5s. During the call, Su felt her phone getting hot, so she switched to speaker phone. After the call she noticed a burning sensation on the left side of her face, but didn’t think anything of it.

Su only discovered the mark when she went to work the next day. She then went to a clinic, but was redirected to a hospital where she received her diagnosis. Su has reported the case to Apple, the manufacturer of the iPhone 5s, but has not received any answers so far.

She first went to an authorized Apple re-seller, but was told they wouldn’t be responsible for any injuries. When Su called the Apple customer service hotline, she was told she would first need to return the phone before Apple could make any kind of decision. However, Su said she’s unwilling courier the phone as nobody would be responsible for it if something happened to it in transit.

Su went back to the re-seller, which called Apple to verify if it can accept the phone on Apple’s behalf. However, there has been no reply. Su said she was told by Apple a month ago that the company would look into it, but she still hasn’t received a response.

A report in the Chinese media decided to test how hot cell phones can get during continuous use. Three phones were used in the experiement: an iPhone 5S, a Samsung Galaxy Note 2, and a Huawei G700.

After one hour of continuous use an infrared thermometer showed that screens on two of the phones reached a temperature of 40 degree Celsius. After 90 minutes, they reached temperatures of 49 degrees Celsius. The report didn’t say which two phones heated up the most.

Photo: XXCB

An easy-to-use map that has been available for other major Chinese cities that include Guangzhou and Hong Kong, ExploreMetro maps have long been a favorite of ours for its simple interface and neat features.

Want to know how long it takes to get from the border at Futian Checkpoint all the way to Airport East Station? Connecting a starting point with an end destination tells us the length and cost for a journey: in this case, it takes 62 minutes by train at a cost of RMB 8.

Clicking upon a station (the bubble) and then clicking upon the appearing window will bring up additional information like maps of the local area and station exits, first and last trains, and details and photos of the surrounding area.

Available in both English and Chinese Mandarin, the ExploreMetro Shenzhen map is available online for web browsers and as a downloadable app for persuasions both Apple and Android.

We can’t wait to see what the subway make will look like when the Dongguan Metro will connect to both the cities of Guangzhou and Shenzhen. We suppose it will make for a lot of scrolling.

Related:
Shenzhen Metro to Connect with Dongguan and Huizhou
Shenzhen Metro to Introduce In-Train WiFi in June
Explosion on Shenzhen Metro Line 4 Caused by External Smartphone Battery
Guangzhou Subway Station Toilet Directory

Photo: ExploreMetro

(Photo from ShenzhenParty.com)

There has been a lot of speculation over a future Apple Store in Shenzhen.  We confirmed in June that Apple had applied to the Shenzhen government to open a store in the posh Holiday Plaza Mall in Nanshan, and photos there certainly indicate an Apple store is on the way.

But until today, Apple had kept quiet about it.  John Browett, who is the company’s head of retail, is in Beijing to open the capital’s third Apple store in Wang Fu Jin and confirmed to journalists that the Shenzhen store is coming.

For those who just can’t wait, there’s now a second Apple store location in Hong Kong, conveniently located on the East Rail Line which connects the Lo Wu border crossing with downtown.  The store is in Festival Walk at Kowloon Tong station, which is about 35 minutes from the boundary.

Sadly for the iPhanatics in the Guangdong capital, no word yet of a Guangzhou store.

While Macs, iPhones and iPads are popular, it hasn’t been so easy to get your hands on any of them.  They are sold at re-sellers and computer markets around the PRD, but often at inflated prices.  If you really need your Apple fix, the only option has been to cross the border into Hong Kong and shop at the flagship Apple store inside IFC.

That’s all about to change, however, according to a report from Reuters:

Apple submitted documents on Monday to the Shenzhen government to open a store in Holiday Plaza, an upscale mall in the Nanshan district, according to an official with the Market Supervision Administration who would only give his last name as Ni.

“Apple is in the final stage and only needs to submit an environmental permit in order to gain approval,” he said.

This is all great news for Apple fans, and it could get better.  The company has indicated it would like to open several new stores in China – aside from those in Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong – with several of those to be based right here in the PRD.

After Shenzhen’s store, the company’s next plan is to open in Chengdu.  One Chinese report said Shenzhen and Chengdu were both chosen because Foxconn, which makes many of Apple’s products, has factories in those two cities.

There has been a lot of demand for Apple stores in China, with some cities offering tax incentives to Apple.  However, reports say the Shenzhen government didn’t offer the computer-maker any special terms to encourage it to open a store here.