iPad Mini: Another China Snub; iPad Mini首发再次不含中国大陆
I’m probably beginning to sound a bit redundant by writing about Apple’s (Nasdaq: APPL) latest China snub, but it does seem worth noting that yet another major new product from the world’s biggest tech company won’t be coming to Chinese consumers anytime soon. Meantime, Chinese media are noting that Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) is seeking to exploit this latest Apple snub by selecting China as one of the launch markets for its new tablet PC. Unfortunately for Microsoft, I don’t think Chinese consumers will really care very much.
Gadget fanatics will know that I’m talking about Apple’s unveiling of its new iPad Mini, which will make its global debut on November 2 with a wi-fi version, to be followed by a cellular version a couple of weeks later. (company announcement) The new mini iPad will be available in more than 30 global markets at the launch, including Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan, South Korea but not China.
China’s exclusion should come as a surprise to no one, since Apple has yet to include China in the global launch for any of its products even though the market now accounts for about a fifth of Apple’s global sales. The last time China was excluded from an Apple launch came just last month, when the country failed to appear on the list of launch locations for the new iPhone 5. (previous post)
I blamed that fumble most on China Unicom (HKEx: 762; NYSE: CHU), the oldest of Apple’s 2 main China partners, since the carrier had time to do the necessary testing and get regulatory approval to get China included in the global launch schedule. To this day, neither Unicom nor China Telecom (HKEx: 728; NYSE: CHA), Apple’s other China partner, has announced an official launch date for the iPhone 5 in China, though most people speculate it will happen by year end.
This latest exclusion of China from the iPad Mini launch is a bit more difficult to understand, since Apple could start selling the wi-fi version in China without support from Unicom or China Telecom. My guess is that Apple wants each of its markets to launch iPad Mini wi-fi versions first, and then to follow with cellular versions a short time later.
If that’s the case, then clearly Unicom and China Telecom have once again failed to get the necessary approvals for a cellular version of the iPad Mini in a timely way, resulting in this latest snub by Apple. Perhaps we could finally see a solution to this apparent bureaucratic bottleneck if and when China’s dominant carrier China Mobile (HKEx: 941; NYSE: CHL) finally signs a deal with Apple, since China Mobile has the best connections with Beijing regulators.
Meantime, media are also reporting that Microsoft has chosen China as one of the global launch markets for its new tablet PC, called Surface, which is now making its worldwide debut after being announced back in June. There’s no word on whether the Surface being sold in China is a cellular version or just wi-fi, but I suspect it’s probably the latter.What’s more, I predict this new product will be greeted with indifference by Chinese consumers, who already have many other tablet PCs to chose from.
As things stand right now, Apple is probably the only company that can generate such big buzz for its new products, and even a big name like Microsoft will have to rely on more traditional marketing for its offerings. Meantime, I suspect that Unicom and China Telecom are probably quietly lobbying the regulator to speed up testing and approval for the iPad Mini right now, and that perhaps we’ll see both the iPhone 5 and iPad Mini finally make their China debut around the end of the year.
Bottom line: The iPad Mini is Apple’s latest major product that has failed to launch in China during its global debut, with a launch unlikely until December or January.
Related postings 相关文章:
