Apple iPad Goes on Sale in China

Crowds lined up for the Apple iPad in Beijing Friday. The tablet PC officially went on sale today, but has been circulating on the grey market for months.


Never mind that it's been available for months now in the grey market, hundreds still queued in the rain at Apple's Sanlitun store in Beijing, anxious to get their hands on the official version of Apple's latest hot seller, the iPad.

First in line was bookstore owner Han Ziwen, who had waited 60 hours to be the first to get into the flagship Apple store.

He walked off the elated owner of two iPads, and is now officially China's first iPad buyer.

[Han Ziwen, Bookstore Owner]:
"I did it. Being a Chinese person, I just want to buy Apple products that I like in a Chinese Apple outlet store. I am against buying smuggled consumer goods, I don't buy pirated DVDs, I don't read pirated books."

Even a 20 percent markup on iPad prices did not deter buyers, many of whom had waited in-line since Tuesday.

For first-time Apple buyer Lei Dawei, the moment could not have come sooner.

[Lei Dawei, iPad Owner]:
"I have waited for such a long time, so I'm really happy to finally get it. What I'm looking forward to now is immediately taking it home and using it."

Analysts predict strong demand for the iPad despite a lack of Chinese content and the country's huge unofficial market for Apple products.

For months now, early Apple adopters willing to pay a premium, have been able to buy products slipped in from Hong Kong, Singapore and the U.S.

Apple also faces challenges from domestic tablet PC makers like Hanvon, which released its Touchpad earlier this year.

Analysts expect global sales of the iPad to hit around 10 million in 2010, and as much as 28 million next year.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Apple
• iPad
• Goes
• Sale
• China
• crowd
• beijing
• tablet
• PC
• sale
• grey
• market
• official
• version
• products
• pirated
• consumer
• goods
• smuggled
• global
• release
• touchpad

[iTechEverything]

its funny how they get it 6 months after the rest of the world, when its made in China.

LOL

[Kelthire]

That guy was like "FIRST!!!1111!!!!!" when he got the iPad. Yeah, yeah I get it, you got the freaking iPad and were the first among 1.3 billion people in china to own one.. Big Deal, it's not like you won the Nobel Prize or found a cure for global poverty, show off.

[mycrx89]

The video makes me want to cry. I worship Steve Jobs. He is my master!

[ravemania100]

@mycrx89

The IT people of Apple has created value for the Apple Business and that how they have to do to survive

[ch0892]

another idea for fakes into the "FAKE DATABASE PRODUCTION"

[mycrx89]

I feel sorry for these Chinese. Spending so much money on a Chinese product, that cost Apple about $80 to produce.

[mycrx89]

For a Chinese person, this will cost them about 6 month's salary. Idiots.

[Kelthire]

@Aleksandr8225 Agreed, I bet if Apple were to manufacture something mundane such as an apple peeler. People are still going to go crazy over it as long as its from Apple and the first person to acquire it will be like "WOAH YEAH! MUTHAFUCKA! I AM THE FIRST TO OWN THE MUTHAFUCKIN iPEELER AND ALL OF YOU CAN SUCK IT!!!".

See, Apple have the power to brainwash people into buying their products.The only thing i like from Apple are the 160gb iPod and the iTouch.

[Aleksandr8225]

@Kelthire i agree with u , idiot))) I am no understand why many people in the World are like a stupid asshools, like this))) Далбаёб он полный)))

[Kelthire]

@EsotericDesi01 Yeah, but at least New York didn't made a big fuss out of it.

[EsotericDesi01]

@Kelthire LOL! Good one... actually, we have such morons in all nations... here in New York same shit happened...