Apple opens first store in Taiwan

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Apple opened its first store in Taiwan on Saturday with more than a thousand shoppers flocking to the site located in the island's landmark skyscraper and tallest building, Taipei 101.

The launch comes just weeks after the US tech giant unveiled a Singapore branch – its first in Southeast Asia – which it expects to be among the most popular Apple stores in the world.

Apple’s first store in Taiwan, located on the ground floor of the iconic Taipei 101, opened on July 1. /Apple Photo

"This is an incredibly important region for Apple," the company said in a statement.

Excited fans in Taiwan thronged upon the new store with its iconic glass facade and more than 100 iPhones, iPads, Macs, Apple Watches and iPods laid out for customers to try.

The Forum at Apple Taipei 101 is home to Apple’s new in-store programming, “Today at Apple,” including 60 free, hands-on sessions. /Apple Photo

Apple celebrated its 40th anniversary last year.

Most of its earnings come from the iPhone, which faces increasingly tough competition in a saturated market.

Apple Taipei 101 features Apple’s latest store design. /Apple Photo

"I am really glad that there is finally an Apple Store in Taiwan so I don't have to send my iPhone elsewhere for repair," said 19-year-old college student Shih Feng, who also camped overnight for Saturday's opening.

Apple has almost 500 stores globally with more than a million visitors daily. Elsewhere in Asia it has stores in Hong Kong, the Chinese mainland, Japan and Singapore.

(Source: AFP)

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