Among the markets that Apple hasn't quite been able to crack with their iPhone, China has to be the most frustrating. It's a huge opportunity that's being missed. And now we finally know exactly why.

在苹果未能用iPhone抢占霸主地位的众多市场中，不得不说，中国市场恐怕是其最为彻底的一次失败。当然，失败的可能性有很多，而现在我们终于找到失败背后的真正原因。

Of course, the black market has always played a role, as have cheap and widely available knock-off products and increasingly tarnished supplier public image. But the real problem, according to a recent survey in the WSJ? Apple's feckless carrier partner, China Unicom.

的确，黑市交易对iPhone销售影响不小，再加上廉价的山寨机随处可见，同时供应厂家的公众形象也受到损害。这些原因都在某一程度上导致了iPhone的失败。但是根据WSJ的最新调查报告，其根本原因仍在于苹果的承销商--中国联通能力不足。

Less than 10% of survey respondents—mobile users between 22 and 32—are signed up with China Unicom, and the majority of those that are self-identified as dissatisfied customers. Rival carrier China Mobile, however, was thought to be more reliable and to provide better coverage by 95% of those surveyed.

此调查报告指出，低于10%的调查对象（年龄在22与32之间的手机用户）选择与中国联通签约服务，并且其中大部分都对联通的服务不满意。而调查报告中，95%的调查对象认为，联通的竞争对手--中国移动拥有更好的信号覆盖率，服务质量也更加可信。

There are other factors at play, of course; less wireless penetration in China than in the US, that black/gray market opportunity, the mandatory two-year contract. But—as Google learned, in part, with the Nexus One—important to remember the impact that a carrier can have on the fate of a phone, and that unpopular partners lead to unpopular products.

不过除此之外，还存在着其他的因素。例如：中国的无线覆盖率远低于美国；黑市与水货市场交易猖獗；以及购买iPhone需强制性签约（中国联通）两年服务不够人性化。但是，正如谷歌在推出Nexus第一代中所吸取的教训一样，苹果必须谨记：当地承销商的影响力甚至可以决定产品销售的最终命运--营销搭档不受欢迎，产品就不能流行。