Only the wealthy can afford them and if they are taken out of their natural ecosystem (United States) survival does look so respectable (Washburn). Apple has seen tremendous success in China though, with over 8 million units sold in the early part of 2012. The downside is the phone is running off a slower Chinese data speed much like a 2G network. Another problem that has raised eyebrows is Apple's lack of development of a good Chinese input system, making texting a nuisance. To counter act this, several phones in China are "jail broke " to have the ability to load a 3rd party texting program, "jail breaking " an iPhone voids all warranties. One of the best functions of an iPhone and smart phones in general, is the applications designed for each operating system. Unfortunately there are very few applications designed specifically for the Chinese market, which is another reason to have your iPhone jail broken. The 3rd party software allows you to download applications for free. What a great opportunity for application developers, the Chinese market seems to be untapped at least for now. .
With some of these annoyances you can imagine how overwhelmed the stores in China are, with only 6 in the entire country. For now it only appears that the iPhone is a "status symbol " in China, a toy for the rich, the price range is roughly $700 USD, where the average manager in China makes $1000 a month (Washburn). Tim Cook, CEO of Apple stated he wants iPhone users to have "off-the-charts user experience that customers want to use every day of their lives". For this to be achieved Apple has its work cut out for them in the Chinese market if they are going to have the same standards as in the United States. China has great potential for Apple with a population of over a billion people, so we should see a continued growth rate from this fairly new market expansion, as long as consumer needs are met.
