toggle

AAPL Stock: 565.32 ( -5.24 )

Apple: push aggressively into China with the iPod

updated 12:40 am EDT, Thu July 22, 2004

iPod in China?


Apple is in to score big with millions of tech- and status-symbol-crazy Chinese, according to BusinessWeek. The article suggests building an Apple Store in Beijing: "Perhaps the next round of Yao Ming commercials for Apple should run in China rather than in the U.S. and feature iPods. Picture the big National Basketball Assn. star palming an iPOD mini. At the same time, Apple should make sure that its hot products make it quickly to Chinese retailers both online and off and that its Chinese customers get easy access to online sales of iPods."


by MacNN Staff

print
email
(15)

TAGS :

 Apple

Related Articles

Recent Articles

toggle

Comments

  1. poocat

    Mac Elite

    Joined: Sep 2000

    0
    07/22, 02:11am | report spam | Reply |

    China by the not there...

    Hi. Look. I live in China, and i can tell you that the ipod is huge here, and that people are actively buying and touting them as status symbols. To suggest apple could do more is true, to suggest that they are blowing a chance is false. Like everything non-us, China is second to apple's ambitions and it's ok for now. China needs to accept macs more, it's true, but to say that the ipod is not catching on is simply incorrect.

  1. history1me

    Joined:

    0
    07/22, 02:31am | report spam | Reply | delete

    Great to know!

    It's really cool to get the perspective from the people that are actually there... thanks for posting.

  1. Maelman

    Forum Regular

    Joined: Apr 2001

    0
    07/22, 03:41am | report spam | Reply |

    Commercials

    If they end up having a commercial with Yao Ming using an iPod Mini, then they difinitely need Verne Troyer to meet him on an airplane with a regular iPod.

  1. poocat

    Mac Elite

    Joined: Sep 2000

    0
    07/22, 04:39am | report spam | Reply |

    I wrote him a letter

    So we'll see. The fact that there are iPods visible on almost every subway trip i take, and that everyone knows what mine is when i pull it out in public, coupled with the fact that Apple has rented massive billboard space all over Shanghai for the iPod ads, makes his article seem uninformed. There are men near Xu Jia h**, the major tech shopping district, who are paid to carry flat screens around on their backs for advertising purposes through the shopping crowds. This weekend, as i passed them, i realized that the ad playing was an iPod ad. Apple is investing both in mass marketing and in new, cutting edge attempts to influence people. If there is a boat, they are most definitely on it.

  1. andrewhicks

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Nov 2003

    0
    07/22, 04:59am | report spam | Reply |

    Manufacture enough.....

    Now, if only they could make more iPods and Minis to actually meet the demand.......:-)

  1. JeffHarris

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Oct 1999

    0
    07/22, 07:26am | report spam | Reply |

    More than iPods

    Excellent posts, poocat!

    Apple needs to push more than just iPods... PERIOD.

    Apple NEEDS tp market a Mac LC style headless iMac/eMac so that people with monitors or access to free or leftover monitors can move up to Macs with less cash outlay.

    My girlfriend is from Bulgaria. I've been there three times and have seen the conditions. When people's income is a fraction of US middle-class (does that still exist here?), you BET that price is crucial. I know university professors whose monthly income is around $160. Everyone "suppliments" whereever they can. A home-built PC is extremely cheap and Macs are barely on the radar screen. People are happy to have any computer and ancient PCs are used until they literally fall apart. There's a busy software piracy market in Sofia, too.

    So, Apple really need to address lower income segments, because as the US fades, China and other countries will rise. ARE rising! Apple should take advantage. Most Macs are built in Asia now. This is a natural progression for all dominant cultures. What was England's status 100 years ago. Where is it now. Oh yeah, dragging from US coattails.

  1. paulc

    Junior Member

    Joined: Aug 2000

    0
    07/22, 08:33am | report spam | Reply |

    Exactly the point...

    I'd guess the yuppie class in China is next to non-existant. Sure they'd get sales from the well heeled, but I'd say that is less than a half percent of the general population. Maybe if they drop the mini's price to 200, they'd have at least some chance; but I doubt they'll take that step any time soon. Keep in mind that Apple's business model is to turn a small profit largely by maintaining huge margins but not really grow the business (although the whole iPod thing did grow their business to the point where if they lost that revenue stream, they'd probably be in big trouble).

  1. jimothy

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Sep 2000

    0
    07/22, 08:59am | report spam | Reply |

    iPod mini

    If you've got a product where demand is far outstripping supply, you probably don't need to spend a ton of money promoting it. Likewise, you're also not going to cut the price of such a product, so we all need to stop dreaming about a $200 iPod mini for at least several months.

  1. umijin

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Jun 2004

    0
    07/22, 09:55am | report spam | Reply |

    Too Corrupt

    Apple couldn't control its sales, inventory or anything else if it wanted to open the Apple Store there. The economic/business situation is too corrupt, and internal theft is rampant. And the government is oppressive too, with only a tiny fraction of their 1.3 billion people enjoying any kind of benefit from this so-called economic boom.

    Don't worry, you can buy new iPods on the black market there already. Anything goes there.

  1. Jablabla

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Jan 2000

    0
    07/22, 10:04am | report spam | Reply |

    Crony

    Captialism. That all I see in China these days. With the exception of Hong Kong.

Show More Comments

Login Here

Not a member of the MacNN forums? Register now for free.

 
close
Photo
toggle

Network Headlines

toggle

Most Popular

MacNN Sponsor

Recent Reviews

iHome iW2 AirPlay speaker

iHome generally isn't known as a luxury brand when it comes to audio, but it is prolific -- the company's docks and speakers are every ...

Logitech Ultrathin Keyboard Cover

One of the iPad's main weaknesses has always been productivity. It's not a question of apps; while it has taken a little time for a na ...

Logitech UE Air Speaker

If maybe a little more slowly than Apple would like, AirPlay is becoming a staple of the wireless speaker market for iOS devices. The ...

toggle

Most Commented

 

Popular News