China has welcomed the iPhone with open arms. iPhone 5, which was launched in China on Friday, December 14, sold more than 2 million handsets within the first weekend. These are record numbers for the company, which have helped ease the concerns over the falling stocks and the general outlook of the tech giant.
On the day of the launch the shops were not really crowded, giving rise to the general speculation that the new Apple iPhone was a dud that would be incapable of creating any waves in the Chinese markets.
However, the thinning crowds were the result of an earlier internet appointment booking option that ensured better crowd control. Apple also raised the number of units that each person could buy to 5, which is much higher than the 2 per person limit that was used for iPhone 4S. The crowds had been waiting for the launch of iPhone 4S since the night, and when they could not receive it in the morning, quite a few of them had protested rather vehemently. Better crowd management ensured that the launch of iPhone 5 went much smoother despite the greatest demand being seen for the device.
China is the second biggest market for Apple after the United States. There has been a severe competition between Apple and rival firms which have come up with cheaper smartphone devices. Samsung Electronics has also taken a large chunk off the Apple customer base. However, most people still swear by Siri, the personal Apple assistant that is now capable of speaking Chinese. iPhone 5 can also be acquired by placing an order with China Telecom or China Unicom. Apple does not have a partnership with China Mobile which is the country’s biggest cellphone carrier. There are analysts who believe that Apple should get into a partnership with China Mobile to increase their customer base.
I find it so ironic that people get up in arms about the Chinese ‘ripping off’ Apple through their black market iphones. Holy crap, the Chinese produced them in poor conditions and low pay just so Apple could turn a hefty profit. The least they could do is release the phone in China at the same time as America.
In China, especially Shanghai and Hongkong, you can buy everything on the black market, it’s capitalist paradise there.