Some great high-end stores. Lots of new buildings. Apparently there are more large/giant building cranes in Shanghai than any other city in the world. Everywhere you go, particularly in the Pudong New Area, new construction is rampant. Only caveat, there isn't anyone in most of the buildings already finished. No desks, no phones, no people. Just empty space and lots of it. But they still keep building.
I love Shanghai. Try to go there every chance I get.
Unfortunately not - I have however lived and worked for twenty years in seven different countires and experienced another three countries on a long term basis thanks to the job of my parents. Seen the fall of the Soviet Union while in Moscow though - if that helps matters.
man, after having been to 7 countries w/ your parents and seeing USSR fall, you still don't get what capitalism is all about! in order to sell a product, you have to find buyer who can afford your products, otherwise what are you going to sell for?
merely 10 years ago, if apple wanted to push for macintosh in china, it would be very hard: who the heck could afford macintosh? now things are changing and apple's market goal of 10 millions of iphones in the first year is highly depending on how well chinese accept it. asian, specially eastern asian from china/japan/korea, treat cell phone differently from US: it looks like that if a fancy cell phone can lift their social status or is a fashion thing, so they are willing to upgrade their phone ( $300-400 ) per 2-3 years. i don't know how european would behave in this regard. well, my point is that if marsian can afford it apple shall sell it over there too.
one more day of no-deal w/ a chinese mobile provider will cost apple and account more unregistered iphones. i read on web where is saying that in the first couple of month of release an iphone can be sold over $1000 in china. to unlock it is merely $15. installing a text msg software is free.
who can afford it over there? i don't know. if just for one set, it might be fine, but it looks like after almost 7-8 months after iphone release, it is still a hot product and people just want to get hand on it in china. i knew a guy who took 5 iphone sets to china when he tripped over there in dec.
Berlin, Germany - no Apple store. Paris, France - no Apple store, Madrid, Spain - no Apple store, Barcelona, Spain - no Apple store, Hamburg, Germany - no Apple store, the list could go on.
I'm really surprised they are putting an Apple Store in China before Paris or Hamburg. Personally I like Chinese people but I don't think their country has much of a future. They are probably pretty close to their peak already.
Might be part of the Marketing strategy from Apple to have an Apple Store there for free advertising.
Otherwise, i would agree it makes more sense to have store in Shanghai or even better in Hong Kong rather then Beijing.
While some one has pointed out China has less millionaires then US and less Capital per earning. No one has pointed out the fact the Chinese spend HUGE amount of money on Mobile Phones. Might be a factor for considering from Apple.
Normally I just browse this forum for information. But this one I gotta reply
I'm a chinese and now lives in Bejing
Our "fruit lovers" here are dying to see a apple store opened in china for years and years and years
Finally Jobs seem to begin to notice the growing market here and I say HOORAY!!!
There are already noticable amount of people here buying apple products(mostly iPods), and there are a lot more people here wanna a iPod or iPhone if they can get their hands on one or two.
But for decades, I MEAN DECADES, Apple have no real marketing stretegy for china, hell! Apple have no real branch in china except the manufacturing part
It's really hard to get a warrented apple product here, many smugged ones of course: i.e. no official iPhone release, but unlocked ones are clogging taobao.com(chinese version of ebay, sort of ... btw ebay china suckes too). Only 30 MBA availabe for pre-ordering for WHOLE CHINA REGION! yet I have at least 7 friends would luv to get one for theirselves or as a chinese new year gift to their loved ones.
and for some gadgets they do manage to release (Often months after debut shipping) There are no real localizing going on - iPod Touch sells well here in beijing, and it lack of a chinese input methed! One can only browse browse browse, no chinese replies in forums, no online quicknote, I can't even loggin some site if I chose to set a chinese charactor username previously.
Further more, their retailers constantly put a much higher price tag on the products than in the US If something sells well or short on shelf, they retag a even higher price, these things happens all the time even with most of these so-called "certified retailers",
Certainly one Apple Store or Two won't solve all these problem, but I see this as a good sign. For our Chinese apple users to get a adequate service as most of you already have for years. For Apple to Broard Its Realm and Became a Even GREATER Company.
And about the Tiananmen Square thing...... Come On Man! I mean really...It's a tragedy indeed but it's also 20 years ago. We will not forget but we choose to move on and give this goverment another chance - so far it did pretty well on the economy part...as for the political part (democracy adn stuff) it's getting there, quite quite slowly. Generally we are happy with it now and have moved on from whinning and weepping long time ago. Give me a break, seriously. We've lost some brave youngsters, they will be remembered, but please dont use their name to flame.
I'm really surprised they are putting an Apple Store in China before Paris or Hamburg. Personally I like Chinese people but I don't think their country has much of a future. They are probably pretty close to their peak already.
Don't be so jealous little kid. China is just starting to develop, but they already have so many local millionaires now. Hong Kong alone has more millionaires than Frankfurt. Please do not get jealous when Beijing, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Taipei and Tianjin get the Apple Store before you get it. Paris, Frankfurt and most of western Europe have reached the peak already, but China is still booming, for decades to come.
Comments
Just got back from Shanghai.
Some great high-end stores. Lots of new buildings. Apparently there are more large/giant building cranes in Shanghai than any other city in the world. Everywhere you go, particularly in the Pudong New Area, new construction is rampant. Only caveat, there isn't anyone in most of the buildings already finished. No desks, no phones, no people. Just empty space and lots of it. But they still keep building.
I love Shanghai. Try to go there every chance I get.
watch this (16 min): then continue replying
A wake up call, isn't it ?
Oh, come on. It's a film with critical commentary in equal measure for China and the US. It played at Sundance in 2006, director Jon Daniel Ligon.
http://www.hahahaamerica.com/
Unfortunately not - I have however lived and worked for twenty years in seven different countires and experienced another three countries on a long term basis thanks to the job of my parents. Seen the fall of the Soviet Union while in Moscow though - if that helps matters.
man, after having been to 7 countries w/ your parents and seeing USSR fall, you still don't get what capitalism is all about! in order to sell a product, you have to find buyer who can afford your products, otherwise what are you going to sell for?
merely 10 years ago, if apple wanted to push for macintosh in china, it would be very hard: who the heck could afford macintosh? now things are changing and apple's market goal of 10 millions of iphones in the first year is highly depending on how well chinese accept it. asian, specially eastern asian from china/japan/korea, treat cell phone differently from US: it looks like that if a fancy cell phone can lift their social status or is a fashion thing, so they are willing to upgrade their phone ( $300-400 ) per 2-3 years. i don't know how european would behave in this regard. well, my point is that if marsian can afford it apple shall sell it over there too.
one more day of no-deal w/ a chinese mobile provider will cost apple and account more unregistered iphones. i read on web where is saying that in the first couple of month of release an iphone can be sold over $1000 in china. to unlock it is merely $15. installing a text msg software is free.
who can afford it over there? i don't know. if just for one set, it might be fine, but it looks like after almost 7-8 months after iphone release, it is still a hot product and people just want to get hand on it in china. i knew a guy who took 5 iphone sets to china when he tripped over there in dec.
Berlin, Germany - no Apple store. Paris, France - no Apple store, Madrid, Spain - no Apple store, Barcelona, Spain - no Apple store, Hamburg, Germany - no Apple store, the list could go on.
I'm really surprised they are putting an Apple Store in China before Paris or Hamburg. Personally I like Chinese people but I don't think their country has much of a future. They are probably pretty close to their peak already.
Otherwise, i would agree it makes more sense to have store in Shanghai or even better in Hong Kong rather then Beijing.
While some one has pointed out China has less millionaires then US and less Capital per earning. No one has pointed out the fact the Chinese spend HUGE amount of money on Mobile Phones. Might be a factor for considering from Apple.
Normally I just browse this forum for information. But this one I gotta reply
I'm a chinese and now lives in Bejing
Our "fruit lovers" here are dying to see a apple store opened in china for years and years and years
Finally Jobs seem to begin to notice the growing market here and I say HOORAY!!!
There are already noticable amount of people here buying apple products(mostly iPods), and there are a lot more people here wanna a iPod or iPhone if they can get their hands on one or two.
But for decades, I MEAN DECADES, Apple have no real marketing stretegy for china, hell! Apple have no real branch in china except the manufacturing part
It's really hard to get a warrented apple product here, many smugged ones of course: i.e. no official iPhone release, but unlocked ones are clogging taobao.com(chinese version of ebay, sort of ... btw ebay china suckes too). Only 30 MBA availabe for pre-ordering for WHOLE CHINA REGION! yet I have at least 7 friends would luv to get one for theirselves or as a chinese new year gift to their loved ones.
and for some gadgets they do manage to release (Often months after debut shipping) There are no real localizing going on - iPod Touch sells well here in beijing, and it lack of a chinese input methed! One can only browse browse browse, no chinese replies in forums, no online quicknote, I can't even loggin some site if I chose to set a chinese charactor username previously.
Further more, their retailers constantly put a much higher price tag on the products than in the US If something sells well or short on shelf, they retag a even higher price, these things happens all the time even with most of these so-called "certified retailers",
Certainly one Apple Store or Two won't solve all these problem, but I see this as a good sign. For our Chinese apple users to get a adequate service as most of you already have for years. For Apple to Broard Its Realm and Became a Even GREATER Company.
And about the Tiananmen Square thing...... Come On Man! I mean really...It's a tragedy indeed but it's also 20 years ago. We will not forget but we choose to move on and give this goverment another chance - so far it did pretty well on the economy part...as for the political part (democracy adn stuff) it's getting there, quite quite slowly. Generally we are happy with it now and have moved on from whinning and weepping long time ago. Give me a break, seriously. We've lost some brave youngsters, they will be remembered, but please dont use their name to flame.
I'm really surprised they are putting an Apple Store in China before Paris or Hamburg. Personally I like Chinese people but I don't think their country has much of a future. They are probably pretty close to their peak already.
Don't be so jealous little kid. China is just starting to develop, but they already have so many local millionaires now. Hong Kong alone has more millionaires than Frankfurt. Please do not get jealous when Beijing, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Taipei and Tianjin get the Apple Store before you get it. Paris, Frankfurt and most of western Europe have reached the peak already, but China is still booming, for decades to come.