Apple is making a big push in China and the maker of the popular iPhone has launched an online shopping store and a version of the App Store for the country with the world’s largest population.
China is potentially a huge market for smartphones and apps. How huge? Well, the country’s largest carrier has more subscribers than the combined populations of the United States and Japan. While many are on low-end devices that can just text and call there is a rise in smartphone adoption as China carriers roll out 3G networks.
Despite its relatively expensive cost, the Apple iPhone 4 has been a massive hit in China already – check out the long lines in stores around the country.
Developers should also be licking their chops, as the App Store could find a few million new customers. According to Apple:
Also starting today, customers in China can access Apple’s legendary App Store in Simplified Chinese, with localized featured apps and charts of the most popular paid and free apps in China. The App Store offers iPhone, iPad and iPod touch users access to the world’s largest catalog of apps with over 300,000 apps in 20 categories including games, business, news, sports, health, reference and travel.
Apple just sold more than 14 million iPhone units last quarter and many find it hard to believe that it can replicate that kind of success this quarter. But when you consider we’re heading into a frenzied holiday buying season and the huge potential of the China market, Apple has a decent shot of equaling that sales total.
China carriers already offer some Android phones – some have been called OPhones – but none of these seemed to have captured the public’s attention like the iPhone. Research In Motion has also made steady progress in this market with its BlackBerry line of smartphones.
[Via Apple]