Dallas, Texas 12/26/2013 (FINANCIALSTRENDS) – Apple Inc (NASDAQ:AAPL) has been a dominant in the technology space for decades. It has always been a class apart. It never wanted to be ordinary. Its iPhones, iPads, iPods, computers and other devices have always been the 1st choice of many a discerning technology lover. The rest of the world kept diversifying into cheaper products, but Apple Inc (NASDAQ:AAPL) stick to its guns and continued catering to the premium segment with its high end products.
The China Mobile finalized
But even a company like Apple Inc (NASDAQ:AAPL) knows that there is a limit to the amount of technology that can be absorbed only by the developed world. Technology companies have realized the huge potential that emerging markets like India and China hold. The sheer size of their population makes them an ideal marketplace for many a technology-based product. And that is exactly what has attracted Apple Inc (NASDAQ:AAPL) to Chine. A large percentage of the population also now has a much greater buying power and this made it the ideal market for Apple to launch its iPhones there .
The China Mobile deal has now been finalized. This effectively opens up a market of 760m potential customers to Apple Inc (NASDAQ:AAPL). Of course, the finalization of this deal also means that Samsung which has been the dominant with its Android-based phone will now have to run for its money. Of course ,there will still be a huge demand for Samsung smartphones in China but Apple Inc (NASDAQ:AAPL) will now make the going tough.
Entering education space
Another country that Apple Inc (NASDAQ:AAPL) is tapping, is Turkey. Tim Cook, the company’s Chief Executive Officer will soon be paying a visit to Turkey . This visit is being made specifically to try and convince the officials in the country that the Apple tablet is the perfectly suited device for launching a new education-initiative there. The initiative that is dubbed the Fatih Project has been initiated by the Turkish-Ministry of Education and Transportation. The objective is enhancing levels of education in Turkey with the use of latest technology. This country too hold great potential with its 80M population and its middle class is also getting a little more affluent with every passing year. Of course, it’s not just Apple Inc (NASDAQ:AAPL) that seems to have shown an interest in this project. Some local companies in Turkey like Arçelik and Vestel and the Korean biggie Samsung have also shown some interest in this project.
The company gets fined
Across the globe, in Taiwan, Apple Inc (NASDAQ:AAPL) has been slapped with a fine of 20M Taiwanese dollar (US$667,000) by Taiwanese authorities, for violating a fair-trade law related to pricing of iPhones in the country. The Fair Trade Commission has stated that the Apple unit that handles sales of its products in Taiwan had created some interfered with pricing and payment-rates of mobile for three different local telecom-service-providers.
This is considered to be a hindrance to competition and is a violation of the fair trade law. Being a global technology company has its own trials and tribulations attached to it and Taiwanese Apple Inc (NASDAQ:AAPL) will have to find the best route to stay out of trouble.
