Apple’s iPad goes on sale in China
The iPhone has not yet been a big winner in China, but if the modest yet excited lines at the Apple store in Beijing are any indication, the iPad may start the ball rolling faster in this largest of world markets.
Although the iPhone is selling in China, including the launch of the iPhone 4 there this week, the Apple cellular handset has not taken off in China as well as it has in the rest of the world. Up until recently, part of the reason for that has been that Apple was not allowed to sell a WiFi enabled handset in China, although that restriction was recently removed by the government.
Still, there was not what seemed to be a big frenzy over the introduction of the iPhone in China. Today, however, the iPad went on sale in Beijing and the crowds around the Apple store there were more reminiscent of the crowds at stores in the U.S. and elsewhere when the Apple tablet went on sale. Lines were fairly long, even though the weather was rainy, and crowds were generally upbeat and enthusiastic, according to a WSJ story. One has to wonder if the iPad is the product that will put Apple products in the forefront in China.
One of the people in line said, ”I came at 6:30. “I saw two days ago that Apple would be selling the iPad here, so I decided to buy one.” He also indicated that he wanted the genuine article and not a black market tablet, saying, “you can’t be sure about the quality of those iPads.” That despite the high price being charged for WiFi-only models, the only ones for sale now in China. The 64 GB WiFi only model was selling for $826, which is $127 more than in the U.S. The 3G models have not yet been approved for sale in China.
Analysts are predicting that the iPad may do better in China, if only because it arrived there comparatively quickly after the launch in the rest of the world. It just took the iPad five months to get to China, compared to almost two years for the iPhone.
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