Legitimate sales of Apple's iPhone got under way in China last week. The smartphone's slow start remained tepid over the weekend, according to The Wall Street Journal. As of Sunday night, stores around Beijing still had the phone in stock, a dramatic difference to the fly-off-the-shelves debut the handset has made in so many other global markets.

Part of the reason for subdued sales is the fact that gray market versions of the iPhone have been available for some time in China. Gray market prices for the iPhone are also quite competitive, says AppleInsider. Pricing, along with the lack of Wi-Fi, also could be playing a role in turning off customers. Neither Apple nor China Unicom have offered up any sales figures as of yet.