Apple Stores see the developing Chinese market as one of its fast tracks to more billions in growth-- and will step up the pace for its store-building in 2011 in China as a result.
The California company already opened 4 stores in the world's most populous country (2 in Shanghai, 2 in Beijing) and plans to have 25 stores open by 2011's end.
Chinese customers can now also access Apple's iTunes and App Store in their language.
Morgan Stanley says Apple can triple its revenue from China to $9 billion a year-- but Chinese experts warn Apple's pricing and Western-style apps will limit appeal at the broader consumer level.
For example, the App Store in China offers only a few apps specifically made for Chinese users.
Currently Apple products sell to China's educated elite and wealthy-- a common model for luxury brands in the country where profit margin instead of market share can make you rich.
But with more than 800 million mobile users in the country, others think it makes sense in China to aim for making money from low-end users. For example, if Android gets hundreds of millions of low-end users, that's where the app developers for China will go.
