21–29 of 29 posts
No other place exemplifies the rise of the Chinese middle/upper class like it does. The size and popularity of the high end boutique labels e.g. LV, Hermes, Zegna, Gucci far exceeds that of Tokyo, Paris, London, New York. If Apple does cement the iPhone as a status symbol alongside the LV bag it is going to soak up a tremendous amount of profit.
For those that want to see how China is changing: Don't visit China. Visit Hong Kong. No other place exemplifies the rise of the Chinese middle/upper class like it does. The size and popularity of the high end boutique labels e.g. LV, Hermes, Zegna, Gucci far exceeds that of Tokyo, Paris, London, New York. If Apple does cement the iPhone as a status symbol alongside the LV bag it is going to soak up a tremendous amou…
This idea fascinates me because tech brands have always been commodities or at best trendy. If Apple can achieve long-term status along the lines of upscale fashion labels that will be absolutely amazing and yet not undeserved.
For those that want to see how China is changing: Don't visit China. Visit Hong Kong. No other place exemplifies the rise of the Chinese middle/upper class like it does. The size and popularity of the high end boutique labels e.g. LV, Hermes, Zegna, Gucci far exceeds that of Tokyo, Paris, London, New York. If Apple does cement the iPhone as a status symbol alongside the LV bag it is going to soak up a tremendous amou…
Shenzhen is even in China (though, in a special economic zone).
For those that want to see how China is changing: Don't visit China. Visit Hong Kong. No other place exemplifies the rise of the Chinese middle/upper class like it does. The size and popularity of the high end boutique labels e.g. LV, Hermes, Zegna, Gucci far exceeds that of Tokyo, Paris, London, New York. If Apple does cement the iPhone as a status symbol alongside the LV bag it is going to soak up a tremendous amou…
> If Apple does cement the iPhone as a status symbol alongside the LV bag it is going to soak up a tremendous amount of profit. This idea fascinates me because tech brands have always been commodities or at best trendy. If Apple can achieve long-term status along the lines of upscale fashion labels that will be absolutely amazing and yet not undeserved.
If you walk down the high street in Ginza, Tokyo you see the Apple Store (which is always packed to capacity) just down from Chanel and Cartier. Which with its strong architectural design really makes it feel like it belongs alongside those other brands.
What's telling as well is that the Sony HQ in Ginza feels so dated.
For those that want to see how China is changing: Don't visit China. Visit Hong Kong. No other place exemplifies the rise of the Chinese middle/upper class like it does. The size and popularity of the high end boutique labels e.g. LV, Hermes, Zegna, Gucci far exceeds that of Tokyo, Paris, London, New York. If Apple does cement the iPhone as a status symbol alongside the LV bag it is going to soak up a tremendous amou…
Earlier quoted context omitted.
China is a lot poorer.
There isn't one China, there are at least 2, maybe 3 chinas. Coastal China is industrialized, urbanized, modern, and wealthy. Inland China is poorer and less developed, and the remote provinces like Yunnan are just a few steps above seriously poor countries like Afghanistan or Haiti.
Interesting. It seems to me that in the United States, many people have relatively advanced cell phones and a computer. But in many places in China, this isn't yet the case. So while Apple might sell more products in China in the short term, it's hard to say that this will be the case in the long term. For example, Apple will never sell so many iPods as it did in the past, since so many people these days have an MP3…
Someone made this same argument to me 4 years ago when the first apple store opened in Beijing. Deja Vu I guess. Maybe apple is really a fad that will just die out on its own, but they've been saying that for years now.
Well... Android can give iOS a run for its money.
But there's no way Windows users who switched to an Apple laptop are going to switch back to a PC running an OS made by Microsoft.
Most people love their Apple laptops and they are now so entrenched in schools and amongst devs that there's no way Apple is going to "die" anytime soon. They could stop selling iPod, iPad, iPhones and whatnots that there would still be a market for laptops. It would be back to the "old" Apple selling, well, computers. But dying? Apple existed before I was born and I think they'll still be there long after I'm dead, just like IBM.
For what it's worth I'm no fanboy: I'm using a PC running Linux...
Well duh. With 4x the population of the US why wouldn't Chinese sales overtake the US's?
China is a lot poorer.
The middle class alone in China is bigger than the entire eurozone!
And it is not a "lot poorer", china's GDP is only half that of Europe and they have much more room for growth than us.
It's just a matter of time before they pass both Europe and the US.
The "western" world is really in trouble. For example France is expected to lose its status of "World's fifth power" to Bresil before 2017. It is even possible that if Hollande is re-elected in France by the end of its second mandate France would be out of the G8!!!
Many countries are resting on their laurels and "cheating" the economy with endless money printing. Meanwhile other countries are purposely under-valuating their money and closing the gap quickly.
The world is changing and its changing quickly.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Someone made this same argument to me 4 years ago when the first apple store opened in Beijing. Deja Vu I guess. Maybe apple is really a fad that will just die out on its own, but they've been saying that for years now.
"Maybe apple is really a fad that will just die out on its own, ..." Well... Android can give iOS a run for its money. But there's no way Windows users who switched to an Apple laptop are going to switch back to a PC running an OS made by Microsoft. Most people love their Apple laptops and they are now so entrenched in schools and amongst devs that there's no way Apple is going to "die" anytime soon. They could stop…