Apple Surpasses Lenovo In Greater China Sales

For the first time, Apple's sales in greater China have surpassed that of Lenovo, which has been a reigning heavyweight in the region and has also been hailed the fastest growing company in the PC industry for the past seven quarters. Although analysts have been suspecting that Apple's sales would overtake Lenovo in China, it wasn't until Q2 2011 reports were confirmed for both companies that revealed this to indeed be the case.

Lenovo continued its fast-paced growth, experiencing a year-over-year growth of 23.4% in China, including Hong Kong and Taiwan, with sales totaling $2.8 billion in Q2. However, Apple's growth was even more tremendous with a sixfold increase since the previous quarter last year reaching a total sales of $3.8 billion.

Strong demand of iPhones, iPads, and Mac computers boosted Apple's Q2 sales as Lenovo's Android-based LePad tablet and smartphone lineup didn't perform as well. The iPad 2 was reportedly sold out in China in less than four hours—pictured above is the Beijing Apple Store's iPad 2 line in the early mornings. Fake Apple stores are also now rampant throughout China.

Apple is perceived as a luxury brand in the country that is now seeing more consumer confidence and buying power. China will be a key market for Apple and it will be interesting to see how things develop when the rumored iPhone 5 hits the market.

[via FT]