Apple’s revenue from China for the 2nd quarter increased by more than six times from the same period last year, and Apple COO Tim Cook even believes “There is incredible opportunity for Apple there”. But, things seem not going that well as everyone expected.
iPad 2 (3G) is available in Apple Store in China starting from today. As usual, Apple hired tens of safe guards standing outside the Apple Store waiting for the long queue and exciting Apple fans. The store opened at 8am (2h earlier than usual opening time), but surprisingly, there was just no queue. Only several iPad 2 (3G) were sold, reported by a local TV channel.
Reading the comments over the net, there are several reasons for Chinese to say No to Apple for the first time.
1. Too expensive. iPad2 (3G) 16G version is sold at rmb4688 which is around rmb1000 higher than iPad2 Wifi-only version;
2. No Jailbreak. People worries that the Jailbreak for this 3G version is not available yet;
3. iPad is not the only choice. Several other brands are also in the market and with cheaper price;
4. China Unicom does not come with any data plan for iPad2 (3G). Some people think it might be a cheaper option.
Plus, couldn’t the people that really wanted it early have gotten it already through unofficial channels?