iPhone: Big in Taiwan

True Apple iPhones are proving just as popular in Taiwan as the “iClone” knockoffs peddled by Asian counterfeiters. According to December retail data, the iPhone–though it only launched last month–is already the sixth most popular handset in Taiwan. Apple (AAPL) sold 12,000 iPhones in the region during December, 2.2 percent of all cellphones sold. That’s a far cry from the 29.8 percent and 18.1 percent shares claimed by Nokia (NOK) and Sony Ericsson, respectively. But it’s relatively close to Motorola’s (MOT) declining 8.3 percent share. An impressive first-month showing for Apple.