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Apple Opening First Retail Store in China
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Well I'm gonna, well not complain, but comment on the fact that those few pictures of the Apple store I have seen seem rather small, square foot wise, for a store in a country with a population of 1.3 billion (est). I thought the store might have been a little larger for the sheer population fact to accommodate larger numbers of possible Apple store visitors. Never having been to China, is the store located in a heavily populated and trafficked spot, that its size might present a problem? Of course one can always wait in line... 
Apple fans are informed well
I love the fact that Apple owners are so aware to the fact that their loved Apple products are 100% made in China. I believe only the MacPro cases are made in the USA.
At least Apple design is still in California, I hope? Dell's offices in the US are full of testers and marketing folks and Project Managers for the most part. Their design has moved to Taiwan.. lol
Do they offer discounted prices since the products don't have to ride on a cargo plane to the USA?
I know that Steve had to move production over to China to be competitive in the market, I just think it is unfortunate. But that is the wonder of globalization, we lose jobs and China gets a Apple store.
I love the fact that Apple owners are so aware to the fact that their loved Apple products are 100% made in China. I believe only the MacPro cases are made in the USA.
At least Apple design is still in California, I hope? Dell's offices in the US are full of testers and marketing folks and Project Managers for the most part. Their design has moved to Taiwan.. lol
Do they offer discounted prices since the products don't have to ride on a cargo plane to the USA?
I know that Steve had to move production over to China to be competitive in the market, I just think it is unfortunate. But that is the wonder of globalization, we lose jobs and China gets a Apple store.
I don't think the concern is whether they'll just stop but whether they'll let the Mac coast. They've already shown that they're willing to delay the Mac OS in favor of a new product with an untested market.
I'm pretty sure that there are several times more iPods connected to Windows computers than Macs.
Numerous? How does "first" morph to numerous?
I don't know if HK can support an Apple Store. Apple is just not popular in HK. I was born there, and it took a lot of effort on my part to persuade my parents to buy a Mac for me, even after years of living in the US.
re: Apple prodcuts "Made in China"
I'm well aware that Apple builds most of their products in China, just like ALL other PC manufacturers today.
(Interestingly though, I do wonder if, with their move to aluminum for the cases of more of their products, if that will tempt Apple to bring more of that production back to the USA? I work in the steel industry myself, and we're seeing an interesting trend where the high cost of shipping steel to the US from overseas is starting to make U.S. made steel competitive again. Not sure how much this holds true for aluminum, but wonder if that could be why Mac Pro cases are made in the USA?)
But that aside, yep - the Apple design still comes from California, and I can't see that changing any time soon. The R&D and design is what makes Apple, well, Apple.... Outsourcing that would mean a loss of control over the ideas and concepts. That in turn would lead to stolen designs being put into production FIRST by competitors - ruining Apple's "edge".
I'm well aware that Apple builds most of their products in China, just like ALL other PC manufacturers today.
(Interestingly though, I do wonder if, with their move to aluminum for the cases of more of their products, if that will tempt Apple to bring more of that production back to the USA? I work in the steel industry myself, and we're seeing an interesting trend where the high cost of shipping steel to the US from overseas is starting to make U.S. made steel competitive again. Not sure how much this holds true for aluminum, but wonder if that could be why Mac Pro cases are made in the USA?)
But that aside, yep - the Apple design still comes from California, and I can't see that changing any time soon. The R&D and design is what makes Apple, well, Apple.... Outsourcing that would mean a loss of control over the ideas and concepts. That in turn would lead to stolen designs being put into production FIRST by competitors - ruining Apple's "edge".
I love the fact that Apple owners are so aware to the fact that their loved Apple products are 100% made in China. I believe only the MacPro cases are made in the USA.
At least Apple design is still in California, I hope? Dell's offices in the US are full of testers and marketing folks and Project Managers for the most part. Their design has moved to Taiwan.. lol
Do they offer discounted prices since the products don't have to ride on a cargo plane to the USA?
I know that Steve had to move production over to China to be competitive in the market, I just think it is unfortunate. But that is the wonder of globalization, we lose jobs and China gets a Apple store.
Just wait for the Apple 'copycat' store that will open across the street in a month, and sell $50 iPods!!
Moderator Note: This thread is not for discussion of communism, socialism, or human rights issues. If you would like to discuss issues that are appropriate for our Politics, Religion, and Social Issues forum, please start a thread there. Thanks.
Great Info kingTJ!
Great info kingTJ, I hope so to. The price of oil could make outsourcing less profitable...
Great info kingTJ, I hope so to. The price of oil could make outsourcing less profitable...
really? peking? still living in the 80s?
it's Beijing.. and Beijing has been there longer than most civilizations.. still not buried in sand yet..
Alright, the Apple store is finally in China. Now, if they can only confirm when the 3G iPhone will officially be released in China. Rumours are this August through China Unicom but still no concrete evidence yet. doh.
China Unicom (at least 1 year ago when i worked there) was CDMA based.
China telecom was GSM based, so i believe the Iphone should be carried by China Telecom..?
I think Apple will do well in China. While there are obviously many products (and fakes) much cheaper than Apple products in the PRC, it seems to me that the so-called snob-effect is sweeping the new Chinese upper middle-class, just as it did in the Western culture not too long ago.
People will buy things that are much more expensive, simply because they are more expensive, and people would like to identify with this newly found luxury. It is the only way I can explain the very crowded Haagen-Dasz ice cream restaurants, where a scoop of ice cream can cost 50 times as much as another place nearby.
This is by no means criticism. In fact I find it quite understandable. I think, if Apple manages to create a sleek and luxurious environment in Apple Stores, people will go for it.
People will buy things that are much more expensive, simply because they are more expensive, and people would like to identify with this newly found luxury. It is the only way I can explain the very crowded Haagen-Dasz ice cream restaurants, where a scoop of ice cream can cost 50 times as much as another place nearby.
This is by no means criticism. In fact I find it quite understandable. I think, if Apple manages to create a sleek and luxurious environment in Apple Stores, people will go for it.
Because they can? Although that's not really been Apple's policy. Taking out tax considerations, the iPods are, between the US and Europe (the two markets I'm most familiar with), RELATIVELY evenly priced.
iPod nano: $149 vs $174
iPod shuffle: $49 vs $60
iPod classic: $249 vs $296
iPod touch: $299 vs $362
These prices differences are less severe the higher the model goes (eg, there's a smaller Euro premium for the 32 GB touch). However, the current exchange rate is 1 = $1.58. If this were down to, say, 1.37 where it was about a year and a half or so ago, the prices would look like this:
iPod nano: $149 vs $149
iPod shuffle: $49 vs $51
iPod classic: $249 vs $254
iPod touch: $299 vs $312
Even disregarding the current dollar's slide, the Euro is overvalued at the moment. Undervalued (maybe) dollar and overvalued Euro, these prices seem okay.
Now compare a videogame. Your average DS game in the US is 30-35 dollars. In Spain they go easily for 40-50 ($63-80, incl. tax). A DS is 129 here, but in Spain they're 150 ($237, incl tax).
Now, I dunno the specifics about products between China and the US and prices, but if Apples track record in Europe is anything I wouldn't think they'd be pricing things too terribly out of sync with world pricing, at least compared to other markets.
BTW, how is it that Zara has a store in CHINA but not in the United States? So not fair.
Bah.
Not impressed at all. Apple in China is a joke.
The support is non-existent, to downright hostile.
I've had numerous issues with "alleged" support in Shanghai *and* Beijing Apple for service.
I would be happier if Apple China totally bombed out, and they brought someone in to fire EVERYONE, and start again from zero.
Yes, I'm that venal about it.
Thats just support.
Apple pricing in China is also a joke, most people who sell Apple (including myself), source from HK, as the price difference means that for some models its cheaper to take a plane, buy a laptop, buy AppleCare, stay in a Hotel, fly back, *and* save money, than to buy locally.
I do a pretty good job selling Apple despite that -
Last year, sold >50 laptops, desktops, 40+ iPhones.
I make it a point for all my Apple customers to buy pretty much everything via grey import (HK), just because I'm so fed-up with Apple here.
Its great that Apple has opened a store, but they need to get their house in order before they open another one.
Lawrence
Not impressed at all. Apple in China is a joke.
The support is non-existent, to downright hostile.
I've had numerous issues with "alleged" support in Shanghai *and* Beijing Apple for service.
I would be happier if Apple China totally bombed out, and they brought someone in to fire EVERYONE, and start again from zero.
Yes, I'm that venal about it.
Thats just support.
Apple pricing in China is also a joke, most people who sell Apple (including myself), source from HK, as the price difference means that for some models its cheaper to take a plane, buy a laptop, buy AppleCare, stay in a Hotel, fly back, *and* save money, than to buy locally.
I do a pretty good job selling Apple despite that -
Last year, sold >50 laptops, desktops, 40+ iPhones.
I make it a point for all my Apple customers to buy pretty much everything via grey import (HK), just because I'm so fed-up with Apple here.
Its great that Apple has opened a store, but they need to get their house in order before they open another one.
Lawrence
Does China have apples (as in the fruit)? Looking at the photo, I'm just wondering whether the apple logo'says' the word 'apple' to a Chinese mind or not.
In the English language, the association is obvious. But what about Chinese or other languages?
Perhaps someone from mainland China can enlighten us?
According to fao.org China produced 25,006,500 metric tons of apples in 2005 vs US's measly 4,254,290 metric tons.
Woaahhhhhh! So many Chinese apple fans here with high degree! AAPL is called 苹果电脑公司 in Chinese which means Apple Computers Co. Ok, Jobs said that they had became Apple Co, but the iPod sell in China still have that 苹果电脑公司. I'm very interested with the price of it ,we will see. I'm actually in LA, but so many Apple news have took place, just get very excited!!!
I'm a native Chinese.
I got my first Apple stuff from amazon.cn days ago,an iPod Shuffle 1G for RMB 377.Not that much expensive~
And I'm enjoying jogging or cycling with iPod Shuffle casting music in my ears now
I would like to say,welcome to China,AAAPPPPPPLLLEEE!!!
To #16,Apple Computer is 苹果电脑，not 苹果电闹～
And computer stuff is free of import tax now,so the saying that consider tax is the factor that lead to apple's high price in China doesn't seem to be quite "reasonable".
I got my first Apple stuff from amazon.cn days ago,an iPod Shuffle 1G for RMB 377.Not that much expensive~
And I'm enjoying jogging or cycling with iPod Shuffle casting music in my ears now
I would like to say,welcome to China,AAAPPPPPPLLLEEE!!!
To #16,Apple Computer is 苹果电脑，not 苹果电闹～
And computer stuff is free of import tax now,so the saying that consider tax is the factor that lead to apple's high price in China doesn't seem to be quite "reasonable".
Yeah,I've received their mail,about the opening,but what a pitty,I'm not in Beijing~
I love the fact that Apple owners are so aware to the fact that their loved Apple products are 100% made in China. I believe only the MacPro cases are made in the USA.
At least Apple design is still in California, I hope? Dell's offices in the US are full of testers and marketing folks and Project Managers for the most part. Their design has moved to Taiwan.. lol
Do they offer discounted prices since the products don't have to ride on a cargo plane to the USA?
I know that Steve had to move production over to China to be competitive in the market, I just think it is unfortunate. But that is the wonder of globalization, we lose jobs and China gets a Apple store.
I'm a fan of keeping more things domestic, but then, it's not really that Americans are losing jobs, since Americans won't do it for as cheap in the first place, and wouldn't do it much better either.
Still, doing business in China esp in tech has its hiccups to say the least, regarding censorship and pirating and all that.
Many of you get wrong impression of chineses using counterfeit goods, but guess what, i can see many western guys here who work in China bought fake DVDs and CDs as well. It has just turn into a way of life here, which i reject but yet cant resist. I'm not a chinese nationality but i work here in Shanghai so i can see that many outsiders are having a really wrong impression of China.
And for fake iphone and ipod, i strongly reject to purchase them 100% and and i despair those who do so. If only Apple makes a larger advertisement here and promote retailers business in big cities in China, then i believe more counterfeit goods will be rolling out but, consumers may prefer to get a genuine apple products more than fakes. As chinese consumers can evolve into a more selective types.
And for fake iphone and ipod, i strongly reject to purchase them 100% and and i despair those who do so. If only Apple makes a larger advertisement here and promote retailers business in big cities in China, then i believe more counterfeit goods will be rolling out but, consumers may prefer to get a genuine apple products more than fakes. As chinese consumers can evolve into a more selective types.
Video of Opening
I made a youtube video of the opening of the store.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugE0DiW5fbA
I made a youtube video of the opening of the store.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugE0DiW5fbA