China goes wild for Apple iPhone 5

 

Oscar Williams-Grut
Tuesday 18 December 2012 00:41 GMT
Comments
Two models display the Apple iPhone 5 during the product's release at a store in Taipei
Two models display the Apple iPhone 5 during the product's release at a store in Taipei (AFP)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

The Chinese have shown a huge appetite for Apple, with the technology giant revealing record sales of its iPhone 5, despite a low-key launch last Friday.

Apple shifted more than 2 million iPhone 5s in the three days since its launch in China, representing its best iPhone rollout in the country.

Tim Cook, Apple's chief executive, said: "China is a very important market for us and customers there cannot wait to get their hands on Apple products."

The sales came despite what many saw as a muted start, with just one person waiting at the Apple store in Shanghai's financial district when it opened its doors at 9am. Apple said this was due to an online sales lottery, introduced to stop gangs buying and reselling the phone in bulk as had happened with the near-riotous January launch of the iPhone 4.

But many remain unconvinced by the computer giant's strategy in the world's biggest smartphones market. Apple's failure to strike a deal with China Mobile, which has more than 700 million customers, is seen by many as a barrier to the company's success.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in