Apple sees China becoming biggest market

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Published: 6:13pm, 11 Jan 2013

Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook, on his second visit to China in a year, said he expects the country to surpass the United States as the technology giant’s largest market, state media reported.

Cook said Apple would launch new products in China, but declined to comment on reports the company is planning a cheaper iPhone for emerging markets like China, the official Xinhua news agency reported late on Thursday.

“China is currently our second largest market. I believe it will become our first. I believe strongly that it will,” Cook told Xinhua in an interview.

Apple's CEO Tim Cook (right) talks with a staff at an Apple store in Beijing's Wangfujing shopping district during his visit in China, on Tuesday. Photo: Reuters

Apple said it sold over two million iPhone 5 handsets in China within three days of its launch on December 14 last year.

Products of the California-based company, including the iPhone and iPad, are wildly popular in China where they are coveted by wealthy consumers.

Coming out with a more affordable iPhone in China and other markets could help Apple ward off competition from bargain-priced smartphones powered by Google-backed Android software.

A separate report carried by the news portal of internet giant Sina quoted Cook as saying Apple planned to have more than 25 retail stores in China.