Here in the states we’ve been enjoying Windows Phone 7 for about a year and a half now.  When doing phone comparisons it is very common to refer to the “Big 3” mobile operating systems as the only ones who really matter, discounting BlackBerry OS, Symbian, and other seemingly anachronistic and obsolete systems.  The war for mobile dominance seems to be between Android, iOS, and WP7.

In China, however, this has not been the case.  One of the biggest world markets has not had any WP7 devices as of yet, and HTC is looking to rectify that when they drop the Kaixuan (meaning “triumphant return”) on mainland China later this month.  HTC is taking pre-orders for the phone on it’s online store for what comes out to $698 in USD.

The Kaixuan comes loaded with similar specs as the Titan, loaded with a 1.5GHz processor, 4.7″ screen, and 8MP rear camera.  It is powered by Windows Phone 7.5 with more localized versions of apps made specifically for Chinese consumers.

MS is trying to get their foot in the door in China, a market share of 56% Android in 2011 and Apple obviously being another key player.  The entrance of WP7 into China may boost the still new OS into better sales and more world-wide acceptance as a major player in the mobile wars.

According to a report in PC World, only 5 Apple iPhone’s were sold on the official website in China in the first 2 weeks of availability. The store, Taobao.com, the biggest Chinese e-commerce Web site and is similar to eBay in how it handles transactions, has sold just two 8GB iPhones and three 16GB iPhones, according to figures from the site. Although China Unicom also sells the device directly from their site (ala AT&T here in the states), Taobao is China’s top online retail site and many users turn to it to buy items like mobile phones and laptops.

Issues that could cause such a low take rate?

• The 32GB iPhone 3GS with no service contract costs 6,999 yuan (US$1,024) in China, compared to about US$800 in nearby Hong Kong.
• iPhones bought outside China have Wi-Fi, which was removed from the China Unicom iPhones to comply with local regulations.
• Difficulty using the App Store

Sounds like they need a new marketing strategy to me. What do you guys think?

Source- PCWorld.com via cultofmac.com