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Apple Retail Store Expansion
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There’s no question Apple has an opportunity with store expansion. But what’s not being mentioned here is that Apple is still ramping production to meet the demand. Apple can sell all it produces, so the limiting factor is less about retail presence than production.
Tim Cook is on it.
That might be true for iPhone but it seems like iPad production has improved significantly from last year and production doesn’t seem to be as much of an issue anymore. It certainly can’t be an issue in the Mac business, where retail is really important (50%+ of customers in their stores are new to the Mac).
I’m not sure I agree with you: iPads are shown with 1-2 week delivery times. iPhones are in stock.
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The new iPad has just been launched and availability has improved a great deal from what we saw last year, while Apple couldn’t supply enough iPhones 4S units during the full Dec quarter (or iPad 2 units for more than a full quarter last year for that matter).
I’m confident shipping times will improve soon. They seem to have enough units in their retail outlets and at reseller’s. What I’m seeing in China: You could reserve your iPad today and pick it up at the Hong Kong Apple Store tomorrow. They don’t sell it on the mainland yet.
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http://www.ifoapplestore.com/db/2012/05/19/retailers-making-way-for-new-hong-kong-store/
Once again, several retailers have accepted generous relocation offers from Apple, and will vacate their spaces to make room for a new Apple store inside the Festival Walk shopping center in Hong Kong.
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Tim Cook: iPad is 91% of all tablet web traffic. I don’t know what these other tablets are doing.
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This shows several things:
1 and 2. Retailer eagerness from customer eagerness. Get stuff done
3. Supply is there
4. Apple has a vision for that location -
If we can add FIVE stores in China within the next year, it would make a lot of people happy.
http://micgadget.com/24345/upcoming-china-apple-stores-hong-kong-shenzhen-chengdu-guangzhou-dalian/
At around this time last year, we covered Apple?s plans of expansion for their retail stores in China. We reported that Apple is considering to open new stores at three big cities of Southern China ? Chengdu, Shenzhen and Guangzhou. First, both Shenzhen and Chengdu are special because they are the sites of Apple?s partner manufacturing facilities, and the iPad?s production line is based in Chengdu. Secondly, as spotted by several Chinese netizens, the China-based subsidiary of Apple is hiring new personnel for its Apple Store in Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen and Chengdu. And they also have new job postings on the Apple?s Chinese site. Check out some screenshots we?ve captured in the gallery below. The words circled in red represent Shenzhen and Chengdu.
Gallery: Jobs Listings for New China Apple Stores
Here?s the first question which come through our mind when we see the jobs listings for Shenzhen: Why would Apple build a store right outside of Foxconn factory? Well, it is worth noting that Shenzhen is the main point of entry for grey market products (especially iPhones and iPads) into China? With an official Apple store in the city, grey market resellers would have a difficult time selling their products immediately. So Apple would have both the Hong Kong and Shenzhen side of the border covered (it takes less than five minutes to walk the bridge between Shenzhen and Hong Kong).Signature
Tim Cook: iPad is 91% of all tablet web traffic. I don’t know what these other tablets are doing.
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According to one of our tipsters who is in the know of the shopping complex?s plans, Hysan Place will be the location for Hong Kong?s second Apple Store. Hysan Place is the newest shopping complex in Hong Kong, and it just opened up Saturday to the public. The shopping complex is full except for one vacant store front, and as you can see in the gallery below, it looks like a nice spot for an Apple Store. Our source also added that the inside of where the store is set to be placed is a lot of glass and wide open space which are also telltale signs of an Apple Store.
Read more at http://9to5mac.com/2012/08/12/hong-kongs-second-apple-store-landing-in-hysan-place-opening-later-this-year/#w4JSMiYtigmKRPJI.99Signature
Tim Cook: iPad is 91% of all tablet web traffic. I don’t know what these other tablets are doing.
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It looks like Apple is expediting building it’s Shenzhen, China store which is where the iPhone is built and where there is strong grey market for the iPhone.
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Tim Cook: iPad is 91% of all tablet web traffic. I don’t know what these other tablets are doing.
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It looks like Apple is expediting building it’s Shenzhen, China store which is where the iPhone is built and where there is strong grey market for the iPhone.
Excellent - thank you for the update. I now pray that Apple will get on China Mobile with the same fervor I used to pray they would get on Verizon (altho that didn’t work as well as I hoped until NEXT WEEK?) but DT’s opinion is likely correct - patience is called for. I am hoping ipad mini will finally force China Mobile’s hand if they are not there already. -
DawnTreader
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It looks like Apple is expediting building it’s Shenzhen, China store which is where the iPhone is built and where there is strong grey market for the iPhone.
Excellent - thank you for the update. I now pray that Apple will get on China Mobile with the same fervor I used to pray they would get on Verizon (altho that didn’t work as well as I hoped until NEXT WEEK?) but DT’s opinion is likely correct - patience is called for. I am hoping ipad mini will finally force China Mobile’s hand if they are not there already.I expect more Apple retail stores on the mainland but not of the American suburban variety. I expect large regional stores with an architectural “statement.” That necessitates large stores which take time to develop and build.
On China Mobile, what’s needed is more 4G infrastructure in the ground to justify iPhone subsidies through data service fees.
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Champs Elys?es: They’ve been saying since 2001 that they want to have a store there, we’ll see…
Future store locations that have more or less been confirmed (by job listings / local news etc.):
Australia: Brisbane, Sydney
[ Edited: 17 December 2012 04:18 PM by Intruder ]
China: Beijing
USA: Houston, Palo Alto, Santa Monica
France: Lyon, Paris
Italy: Rome, Torino
Germany: Berlin
Spain: Barcelona, Madrid
