Apple Making Big Push to Attract Chinese App Developers

[MacRumors]

China has become a major focus for Apple in recent years, with the company seeing tremendous opportunities for growth in the region and working to build out China-specific software features to help attract users. These features occasionally also receive brief stage time at Apple's media events, as with iOS 8 at this week's Worldwide Developers Conference, highlighting the country's importance in Apple's eyes.

Apple software chief Craig Federighi highlighting China-specific improvements in iOS 8​

Apple is also working hard to attract Chinese app developers to its ecosystem, increasing its staff in the country and streamlining the customer experience, according to Bloomberg.

Since 2011, Apple has steadily beefed up its developer-relations team in China so new apps can be approved in the country, and it has opened a new office in downtown Beijing where the China App Store is operated. Apple has also smoothed the process for how customers buy apps in China, and built new Chinese-language-specific software to benefit developers.

The report highlights Apple's fifth-place market position for smartphones in China as motivation for Apple's initiative. Apple's ecosystem in China has also been challenged by the fact that many apps designed for Westerners don't translate well to the Chinese audience, with many developers not even making their apps available in the country. As a result, Apple's Chinese App Store includes just 150,000 applications, far fewer than the over one million apps available in the U.S. store.

"On a scale of one to 10 in terms of importance in China, it ranks at about 11," Ramon Llamas, an analyst for IDC who tracks the mobile industry, said of Apple's app development. "Nobody buys a smartphone just for it to be a phone -- the value of your device goes up with the more applications that you download on to it."

Apple's efforts to attract more Chinese developers do appear to be paying off, with the country now ranking number two behind the United States in App Store download volume and the number of registered developers in China doubling over the past year. Still, it's clear there is much more potential left in the Chinese market for Apple, and the company is working hard to capture developers and users alike to boost its standing.

Article Link: Apple Making Big Push to Attract Chinese App Developers

 

[Spetsnazos]

Chinese are all about copying each other, so they have plenty of Chinese App Developers...

Copy everything in the current app store into Chinese and call it original!

 

[iMacBooked]

As long as it gives Apple more Chinese consumers, why not.

 

[Piggie]

Hong Kong? Phooey

 

[CFreymarc]

Chinese are all about copying each other, so they have plenty of Chinese App Developers...

Copy everything in the current app store into Chinese and call it original!

It is already being done. One of the biggest poaching moves these days is to get an iPhone app concept and move it to Andriod. At times, the IP holder ends up licensing the brand to the Andriod app house.

 

[nerdAFK]

Chinese are all about copying each other, so they have plenty of Chinese App Developers...

Copy everything in the current app store into Chinese and call it original!

Can't deny that a large portion of them are doing this.
But never ever assume everybody in the same culture does the same thing.
One doesn't even have to know China that well to know this.

 

[michelepri]

Does Iphone 5 not have turn by turn navigation yet? Coming a decade after the competition gives it out as a standard feature?

 

[Jyby]

I'm going to say something controversial:

There goes another toy market...

 

[rmbpuser]

couldnt care less, good for apple i guess, hope they dont start to bug me/us with chinese improvements nobody cares about

 

[koban4max]

apple, why don't you move to china.

 

[Anti-Lucifer]

If you've ever been to China hong Kong and or taiwan you would know nearly 10/10 people never buy legitimate software even when the storefront has legit software showcased. Apple should understand the mentality of Chinese people the "P" in PROC doesn't stand for people it stands for piracy!

 

[thelookingglass]

The Chinese don't generally pay for software. Theres a huge library of apps that require jail breaking to use. It'll be interesting to see if Apple can shift the mindset to paying for apps. Amazon is doing something similar with the Kindle mind paying for ebooks.

 

[Born Again]

Apple - Made in China

 

[realeric]

Apple failed to meet the minimum standards Chinese or Korean customers wanted. Screen was too small. Most of them have already switched to Android. iPhone 6? It's too late...

 

[Anti-Lucifer]

App. failed to meet the minimum standards Chinese or Korean customers wanted. Screen was too small. Most of them have already switched to Android. iPhone 6? It's too late...

Absolutely right on the mark. Even the old lady janitors use GS4 screen sized phones and most celebrities use HTC Samsung and the iPhone is only shown in public as a brand name item. That's the only reason to use apple is for the brand only.

 

[apollo1444]

Craig owns

 

[Fzang]

For the sake of China, I wish Apple could just revolutionize the whole concept of VPN. I can soon count the remaining uncensored websites on one hand.

 

[szw-mapple fan]

If you've ever been to China hong Kong and or taiwan you would know nearly 10/10 people never buy legitimate software even when the storefront has legit software showcased. Apple should understand the mentality of Chinese people the "P" in PROC doesn't stand for people it stands for piracy!

Well, obviously you've never been there, since you are sprouting total nonsense.

 

[iZac]

Apples Chinese mapping service (autonavi) is an absolute pile of crap, so any improvement would be welcome!

 

[mrhick01]

As long as it gives Apple more Chinese consumers, why not.

Yes, and they get 30 percent of sales on top of that...with the piracy that is so rampant in that market, every legitimate revenue stream made is a boost.

 

[realeric]

Apples Chinese mapping service (autonavi) is an absolute pile of crap, so any improvement would be welcome!

So does US mapping; two-year-outdated POIs.

 

[Fzang]

So does US mapping; two-year-outdated POIs.

How bad is it? If you're in China, Apple Maps is locked to China, China and only China, even through VPN.

 

[DoubleU]

Does Iphone 5 not have turn by turn navigation yet? Coming a decade after the competition gives it out as a standard feature?

There's been turn by turn navigation since IOS6 but it was originally only supported in the US and some European countries. Google Navigation doesn't appear to be supported in China yet.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Google_Maps_Navigation

 

[iChrist]

Chinese will never develop for Apple, too difficult to make spyware, hackware, and steal personal data with all the App Store restrictions.

I already avoid all food from China, now Apple users have to watch out for other toxic atrocities coming from there in the form of software on our phones. China is a shining example of everything wrong with mankind.


Thanks Apple.

 

[Spetsnazos]

The Chinese don't generally pay for software. Theres a huge library of apps that require jail breaking to use. It'll be interesting to see if Apple can shift the mindset to paying for apps. Amazon is doing something similar with the Kindle mind paying for ebooks.

This is why apple developers struggle, because there is no incentive to try hard and produce good software when the mindset is to "pay nothing" and "IP is BS"