Apple plans a core for Beijing

By Zhu Shenshen  |   2008-6-27  |     ONLINE EDITION

APPLE Inc will open a retail store in Beijing this summer, its first shop on the Chinese mainland, to attract fans of iPod, Mac computers and perhaps iPhones.

Apple's new store will open in the Sanlitun, a fashionable bar area of the capital city, this summer, Apple China said on its Website today.

Apple will open the three-floor store on July 19 and will open a second Retail Store in Beijing during the Olympics, according to an industry insider.

Apple China, however, declined to comment on detailed times for the openings.

Very different from licensed retailers, the China Apple shops will offer training programs, workshops and technical support in their "genius bars," Apple China said.

The new store will help Apple penetrate the Chinese market, the world's largest mobile phone market and the second largest personal computer market.

Apple's products and services will be sold at its Website's recommended retail prices in the store. In the past, some of Apple's retailers in China have sold products at higher than listed prices

Apple will probably launch its iPhone for the Chinese mainland by the end of this year, chief executive Steve Jobs said recently.

Apple will launch its 2G iPhone in the Chinese mainland first because the 3G networks will not be ready in time, said Sandy Shen, a Gartner Inc analyst in Shanghai.

"The iPhone, with its powerful Internet browser and multimedia functions, will get users to spend more on data services and bring the carriers considerably more income," Shen said today.