In an article published today in the Wall Street Journal writing about the introduction in China, of its new products iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C, it says:
"Apple Inc on Wednesday hosted its first-ever iPhone product introduction in Beijing and gained approval to offer the device with China's largest carrier, indications of how important the world's largest smartphone market has become for the Cupertino, Calif., company.
But critics were disappointed by the minimal difference in price for the iPhone 5C—the less expensive of the two phones Apple unveiled—signaling that Apple will continue to target the top end of the Chinese market. While that means Apple likely will retain its profit margins here, analysts worried it would come at the expense of gaining ground in a huge market that is shifting toward less-expensive phones.
Priced at 4,488 yuan (US$733) in China for the unsubsidized, 16-gigabyte version, the iPhone 5C is unlikely to attract customers beyond the affluent in China's largest cities. Apple has maintained a strong share of the market for high-end smartphones in China, but its portion of the broader market has dropped as consumers have bought less-expensive devices from Chinese companies and South Korea's Samsung Electronics Co..
China Mobile has more than 700 million users, but its proprietary Chinese standard has prevented the company from offering the iPhone".
"Apple Inc on Wednesday hosted its first-ever iPhone product introduction in Beijing and gained approval to offer the device with China's largest carrier, indications of how important the world's largest smartphone market has become for the Cupertino, Calif., company.
But critics were disappointed by the minimal difference in price for the iPhone 5C—the less expensive of the two phones Apple unveiled—signaling that Apple will continue to target the top end of the Chinese market. While that means Apple likely will retain its profit margins here, analysts worried it would come at the expense of gaining ground in a huge market that is shifting toward less-expensive phones.
Priced at 4,488 yuan (US$733) in China for the unsubsidized, 16-gigabyte version, the iPhone 5C is unlikely to attract customers beyond the affluent in China's largest cities. Apple has maintained a strong share of the market for high-end smartphones in China, but its portion of the broader market has dropped as consumers have bought less-expensive devices from Chinese companies and South Korea's Samsung Electronics Co..
China Mobile has more than 700 million users, but its proprietary Chinese standard has prevented the company from offering the iPhone".
