Tim Cook has confirmed that Apple is set to open its debut Apple store in Taiwan. “Here comes Apple Taipei 101, our first store in Taiwan,” Cook wrote on Twitter.
The store will be located in Taiwan’s iconic Taipei 101 skyscraper, the iconic supertall skyscraper in Xinyi District, Taipei, which was the world’s tallest building until it was overtaken by the Burj Khalifa in Dubai in 2009.
Here comes Apple Taipei 101, our first store in Taiwan! 有閒來坐! pic.twitter.com/hniIt9K3Xa
— Tim Cook (@tim_cook) June 11, 2017
Although it’s only just been made official, a Taiwanese Apple store has been rumored for some time. Apple has long since worked with Taiwanese manufacturers like TMSC (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company), but until now customers in the country have only been able to buy Apple products from third-party retailers like Studio A and Data Express.
Last year, Apple started quietly recruiting staff for its Taipei Apple store, including “store leader,” “expert,” “manager” and “Genius” positions. There’s no word on exactly when the new Apple store will open, but local speculation suggests it could as soon as the end of June.
The Apple Store’s arrival in Taiwan is interesting because of the country’s fraught relationship with China, Apple’s largest market outside of the U.S., which considers Taiwan a rogue state instead of a sovereign nation.
Apple Pay launched in the country, supported by 7 banks, back in late March this year.
Source: TechCrunch
Luke Dormehl is a U.K.-based journalist and author, with a background working in documentary film for Channel 4 and the BBC. He is the author of The Apple Revolution and The Formula: How Algorithms Solve All Our Problems … and Create More, both published by Penguin/Random House. His tech writing has also appeared in Wired, Fast Company, Techmeme and other publications.
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