After Singapore, Apple opens first store in Taiwan

Fans waited for 68 hours in the queue before the gates of the new store opened this weekend

Apple
Reuters

Apple continues to expand its retail footprint in Asia, as following Singapore, it opened its first retail store in Taiwan this weekend.

The first ever Apple store in Taiwan is located at the famous Taipei 101, a landmark skyscraper in Taipei and the store is already staffed with 130 employees, stated the iPhone-makers. The Taipei 101 store opened at 11 am local time on Saturday, but as reported by Focus Taiwan, some fans waited in the queue for as long as 68 hours.

This new Apple store will not only sell products and offer repairs but will also work as a place for community learning. Apple has said that the store will provide the customers with access to its new "Today at Apple" programs that will cover topics like photography and video, art, design, music, and coding.

Just like most other parts of Asia, Apple users in Taiwan had to depend on Apple's website or third-party resellers to buy or repair their Apple products until now. However, many of Apple's key manufacturing partners, including Foxconn, are headquartered in Taiwan but operate their factories in China.

Although the exact number is not available, according to TechChrunch, Apple is among the top five smartphone sellers in Taiwan and its pretty consistent as well. It enjoys around 15% market share in Taiwan, which spikes significantly during new product launches.

Apple has announced its plans of opening the first Apple store in Korea and has already started working to expand its reach in India too.

This article was first published on July 3, 2017
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