Apple had two successful launches this week, but the otherwise perfect week was somewhat ruined by privacy breach charges leveled
against the company. Oh, and we almost forgot about the 93 percent increase in quarterly net profit it announced a week earlier. So, let's say the scale is tipping in favor of the Cupertino company.
First off, white iPhone 4 finally arrived on the scene and as expected met with thumping success. Not only in the US, but the phone had similar success in fast emerging markets like China, where people thronged Apple stores for getting the phone in their favorite hue. Interestingly, white iPhone was simultaneously launched in more than 20 countries, whereas original iPhone 4 had a staggered global launch. Apple is currently said to be commanding 8.3 percent share of China's smartphone segment, while Samsung and Nokia still remain big players.
The week also saw the launch of iPad 2 in several countries including Hong Kong and India. Again, these countries got lucky this time as iPad had taken a long time to reach Asian countries. Keeping up with the traditions, fans again queued up to buy the segment leader. There were fans who stood in the line for 12 hours just to get hold of the device. As far as the online shopping for the tablet is concerned, all those who wait till noon time met with disappointing 'Out of Stock' label. An Apple official in Kuala Lumpur went on record to state that their flagship stores had received 600 units each and still ran out of stock.
Anyways, if you are in Asia and did not get the tablet through official route, then you can head to the grey market, where tablet is available at premium pricing. In countries like Malaysia, people were seen leaving Apple stores with dozens or so units, well, no matter, how much you love your Apple, but there only so many iPad you can use, so I guess most of those units are going to end up in grey market only.
One thought on “The Week in the Apple Land: A Recap”
Thank God iPad 2 has finally arrived in Asia. The 1 month wait of Asians just made it more favorable to Apple. Compared to last year, a month’s wait is better than 4 months. I just hope that they would wait a little while before they even announce the release of iPad 3. Just let everyone enjoy their gadget first.