Survey: Apple most desirable brand in China
updated 02:00 am EST, Thu November 10, 2011
21 percent considering a Mac for next computer
Apple CEO Tim Cook has kept a special focus on China in recent years, and the company's efforts in that market are beginning to pay off; in addition to remarkable growth in the region in the most recent quarters, a new survey indicates that both Apple generally and the Mac specifically are poised for significant gains that could push the company into second place in the region, AppleInsider reports.
Apple's iOS products are already very popular in China, but the survey from polling company AlphaWise done for Morgan Stanley of 1,553 Chinese consumers across 16 cities this summer found that although only one percent of respondents already had a Mac home computer, nine percent indicated that they were considering buying a Mac as their next purchase. In another question, the survey found about five percent of Mac marketshare in laptops, but that 22 percent said they would be buying a Mac laptop for their next purchase.
If followed through, it could propel the Mac maker into second place behind China's own Lenovo as one of the most popular single brands within the next few years. The company also appears set to dominate the tablet market for the foreseeable future in China as well, with 65 percent already owning an iPad.
The reason for the disparity in interest between desktop Macs and other products appears to be down to price -- only seven percent of respondents were willing to pay $1,100 or more for a desktop PC, and the average in the country is around $700, roughly the same as the US average. Apple's strategy to combat the price issue appears to be to position the iPad as a PC-free replacement for average use.
The strategy has already shown signs of cannibalizing low-end netbooks and PCs elsewhere, and Cook noted in October that the middle class in China were growing at a remarkable rate, calling the country "an area of enormous opportunity" for Apple.
The company was also rated the most desirable brand, with Asus, Sony and Lenovo following behind. The surging popularity of Apple products has been shown in recent results, with the greater China region becoming Apple's second-largest market behind North America last quarter. Overall sales in fiscal 2011 in China reached $15 billion, five times the amount the country had generated for Apple in 2010. Last quarter's revenue from the region was almost a third of that total, indicating a snowballing growth.
The survey also included good news for Apple on the smartphone front, with 40 percent of respondents indicating that they planned to purchase the iPhone as their next handset. This would be represent a 450 percent increase over the company's current share of China's cell phone market. [via AppleInsider]
