Apple´s Beijing retail store opens

Consumers in Beijing will soon be able to access Apple products directly from the company itself. Apple will open its first Chinese retail store on Saturday in Beijing, stepping up its presence in China three weeks before the start of the Beijing Olympic Games. The new store will offer the complete line of Macs and iPods, as well as Apple's signature Genius Bar.

Apple will open its first Chinese retail store on Saturday in Beijing.

The Beijing Apple store is the company's first retail store in the Greater China Region. The double-deck shop is located in Sanlitun, adjacent to one of the city's diplomatic quarters. Like other Apple stores, the Beijing store will give customers a chance to try out Apple products or seek help from company representatives at the shop's Genius Bar.

Ron Johnson, SR. the vice president of Apple inc., said, "You can come here to try everything, every computer connects to the internet."

Apple said the store has 65 salesclerks who have undergone special training. And they're ready to offer consumers personalized instruction on everything from getting started with a Mac to making a digital movie.

Apple will open its first Chinese retail store on Saturday in Beijing.

But one of the company's best-selling products, the iPhone, is still not available in the Beijing store. Apple began talks with several Chinese telecom operators about launching the iPhone at the end of 2007. But no agreement has been reached yet. The company didn't disclose any details of the negotiations or a timetable for the launch of the iPhone on the Chinese mainland.

In addition to the Beijing retail store, Apple is planning to further expand its business in the Chinese market.

Ron said, "We just started, the store is a chance...next year we will open the Qianmen store..."

Nearly 350 million people have visited Apple retail stores since they opened in May 2001. The company currently operates 219 retail stores in seven countries, including China.