When Will Apple Roll Out the iPad in China?

Will Chinese consumers have to wait as long for the iPad to arrive in China as they have for Apple’s previous big products?

The American maker of computers and gadgets cool enough to spark crime waves hasn’t had nearly the same amount of success in China as it’s had elsewhere, for a number of reasons—one big one being that Apple often takes a while to start selling its new products here.

For years, Apple maintained a skeletal operation in China, relative to its competitors. It wasn’t until 2008 when it opened its first (and still lone) Apple store in the country, even though the world’s most populous nation has long been the world’s biggest market for cell phones, and the second-biggest market for PCs, and has more Internet users than any other nation. Most gizmo companies—Hewlett-Packard, Dell and Nokia, etc—have made China a top priority, and fought vigorously for market share. Many of their CEOs visit China at least once every year (some even more often). It’s unclear when Apple’s Steve Jobs last came to China—or, indeed, if he’s ever been here (the company has declined to say).

Apple plans to launch the iPad in the U.S. in late March. It hasn’t said when it will start selling iPads in China—its announcement Wednesday said “international pricing and worldwide availability will be announced at a later date.” But within a day of the announcement in San Francisco, it had plastered its Chinese homepage with photos of the 9.7-inch touch-screen tablet, raising hopes that Chinese consumer may get their hands on the device sooner than they were able to get officially-released iPhones, which took more than two years to be launched here (By contrast, Apple didn’t put info about the iPhone on its Chinese site when that product was launched in the U.S.)

In the past, as Apple has bided its time, knock-off makers and gray-market importers have always been quick to step in to meet consumer demand for Apple or Apple-like products. When Apple officially launched the iPhone in China last year, many Chinese who wanted it already had it, and many who were holding out bought Android phones instead. Sales of the official iPhones in China were underwhelming. Likewise, iPods are also nowhere near as commonly seen on the streets of Beijing as they are in New York, and Macs make up less than 1% of PC shipments in China.

The iPad’s been greeted with more skepticism than new Apple gizmos usually are, and Chinese users are no exception. “To be frank, I don’t need something in between a mobile and a laptop,” said one Internet user under the name “LLL” on the Chinese version of Engadget.com. “The fact that it doesn’t support multi-tasking drives me crazy,” another user said, under the name “sautao.”

Still, 40% of respondents to a Phoenix TV survey on the iPad said they would buy the device. The copycats and gray-marketers are prepared for Apple to make the same go-slow mistakes it has before. Already, there are some iPad lookalikes on the market, including something called the P88 made by a Chinese company called Shenzhen Great Loong Brother Industrial, which has a slightly larger screen and more disk space (though it should be noted the iPad’s charms lie largely in its software, so the devices are hardly comparable).

Meanwhile, just before the iPad showed up on Apple’s Chinese Web site, gray market sellers started taking orders, too, with plans to sell the $499 model for a markup of almost $450, promising to deliver the iPad within four weeks after it hits the market in the U.S.

When Will Apple Roll Out the iPad in China?

Will Chinese consumers have to wait as long for the iPad to arrive in China as they have for Apple’s previous big products?

The American maker of computers and gadgets cool enough to spark crime waves hasn’t had nearly the same amount of success in China as it’s had elsewhere, for a number of reasons—one big one being that Apple often takes a while to start selling its new products here.

For years, Apple maintained a skeletal operation in China, relative to its competitors. It wasn’t until 2008 when it opened its first (and still lone) Apple store in the country, even though the world’s most populous nation has long been the world’s biggest market for cell phones, and the second-biggest market for PCs, and has more Internet users than any other nation. Most gizmo companies—Hewlett-Packard, Dell and Nokia, etc—have made China a top priority, and fought vigorously for market share. Many of their CEOs visit China at least once every year (some even more often). It’s unclear when Apple’s Steve Jobs last came to China—or, indeed, if he’s ever been here (the company has declined to say).

Apple plans to launch the iPad in the U.S. in late March. It hasn’t said when it will start selling iPads in China—its announcement Wednesday said “international pricing and worldwide availability will be announced at a later date.” But within a day of the announcement in San Francisco, it had plastered its Chinese homepage with photos of the 9.7-inch touch-screen tablet, raising hopes that Chinese consumer may get their hands on the device sooner than they were able to get officially-released iPhones, which took more than two years to be launched here (By contrast, Apple didn’t put info about the iPhone on its Chinese site when that product was launched in the U.S.)

In the past, as Apple has bided its time, knock-off makers and gray-market importers have always been quick to step in to meet consumer demand for Apple or Apple-like products. When Apple officially launched the iPhone in China last year, many Chinese who wanted it already had it, and many who were holding out bought Android phones instead. Sales of the official iPhones in China were underwhelming. Likewise, iPods are also nowhere near as commonly seen on the streets of Beijing as they are in New York, and Macs make up less than 1% of PC shipments in China.

The iPad’s been greeted with more skepticism than new Apple gizmos usually are, and Chinese users are no exception. “To be frank, I don’t need something in between a mobile and a laptop,” said one Internet user under the name “LLL” on the Chinese version of Engadget.com. “The fact that it doesn’t support multi-tasking drives me crazy,” another user said, under the name “sautao.”

Still, 40% of respondents to a Phoenix TV survey on the iPad said they would buy the device. The copycats and gray-marketers are prepared for Apple to make the same go-slow mistakes it has before. Already, there are some iPad lookalikes on the market, including something called the P88 made by a Chinese company called Shenzhen Great Loong Brother Industrial, which has a slightly larger screen and more disk space (though it should be noted the iPad’s charms lie largely in its software, so the devices are hardly comparable).

Meanwhile, just before the iPad showed up on Apple’s Chinese Web site, gray market sellers started taking orders, too, with plans to sell the $499 model for a markup of almost $450, promising to deliver the iPad within four weeks after it hits the market in the U.S.