Apple's decision of releasing their iPhone in Asia only during 2008 has been a disappointing one for many enthusiasts out there waiting for the device to arrive for them too. Some hacked versions of the phone have been made available, but prove to be extremely expensive and also come with several drawbacks.

In the race to unlock the iPhone, several solutions appeared, some better than others, until the device was hacked to work perfectly in any network without drawbacks. The Chinese seem to have been stuck to an older solution, one that breaks the iPhone's ties to the AT&T network but also brings some disadvantages.

The hacking version which is used on the Chinese market allows users to place calls and send text messages, but can't receive calls. Thinking of a witty way out of this situation by using the voicemail? Well, that doesn't work either, so forget about it. Such an unlocked iPhone can reach around USD 1200, double the price that AT&T sells it with its two-year contract agreement.

The cost is huge, especially for a handset that has such a major drawback of not being able to receive any calls. This means that the user will always have to call other people, adding up to a huge bill at the end of the month and that people will never be able to get track of him. Wasn't that one of the most important basic features that a mobile phone brings? It looks like not, for many people who jumped at the opportunity of owning their own overpriced iPhone before its official release in Asia.

China is the world's largest telecom market, gathering the most handset users. This makes it a country with great potential for mobile phone producers, especially as they are receptive to many technological breakthroughs. The government says that the number of Chinese mobile phone subscribers should reach 520 million this year, which makes great news for Apple to hear about having so many fans there.