Apple launches online Apple Store for China

In recent years, Apple has maintained a strong presence in the U.S. market for desktop and laptop computers, mobile phones and music players, but until this week, it had yet to cater to the world’s most populous market online. On Tuesday, that all changed when Apple announced the launch of its online store for China (The screenshot on the right shows the current home page).

Although the company’s website is already localized for more than 100 different cultures, not everyone has the opportunity to buy right from the web. Only certain languages are supported by the Store, including German, Spanish and French.

The Chinese language is spoken by more than one billion people.

The addition of Chinese promises to heighten sales for the visionary technology company. As a result, Apple’s new website may become the future “case in point” for many companies wishing to localize.

Official press release: Apple Launches Online Store in China

What do you think of this new site? Should Apple have targeted a different market first?

Related tags: Website localization