Here's how Apple became a success in China

Image: Apple has been able to carve out its own profitable niche.

One of the most fascinating areas of Apple's rise is how the company has managed to find growth in emerging markets like China despite the iPhone's high cost.

While it was largely assumed that emerging-market titan Nokia and Google's Android would dominate the market, Apple has been able to carve out its own profitable niche.

That's impressive, especially since American companies have otherwise failed to crack the market.

Let's have a look at Apple's success story in China.

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Here's how Apple became a success in China

Image: Apple's worldwide sales in 2000 were $12.88 billion.

Worldwide sales in 2000: $12.88 billion

Worldwide sales in 2010: $381.32 billion

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Here's how Apple became a success in China

Image: Apple saw $100.3 billion in sales for the past 12 months.

Overseas sales: 59 per cent

Domestic sales: 41 per cent

Apple saw $100.3 billion in sales for the past 12 months. Year to date, only 41 per cent were from the United States.

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Here's how Apple became a success in China

Image: Apple saw sales growth of 727 per cent in Asia-Pacific.

Sales growth from the US in 2005-10: 268 per cent

Sales growth from Japan in 2005-10: 331 per cent

Sales growth from Europe in 2005-10: 508 per cent

Sales growth from Asia-Pacific in 2005-10: 727 per cent

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Here's how Apple became a success in China

Image: Apple saw profit growth of 2,991 per cent in Asia-Pacific.

Profit growth from the US in 2005-10: 682 per cent

Profit growth from Japan in 2005-10: 1,156 per cent

Profit growth from Europe in 2005-10: 1,518 per cent

Profit growth from Asia-Pacific in 2005-10: 2,991 per cent

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Here's how Apple became a success in China

Image: It saw a sixfold rise in sales over the past year in China.

Sales in China in 2011: $8.8 billion

Apple's sales to China in the past 12 months were a sixfold increase over the previous year.

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Here's how Apple became a success in China

Image: iPhone in China costs $940.

Chinese GDP per capita: $4,393

Cost of iPhone in China: $940

US GDP per capita: $47,200

Cost of iPhone in the US: $200

In China, the iPhone costs about 21 per cent of GDP per capita.

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Here's how Apple became a success in China

Image: Apple has 245 stores in the US.

Apple stores in China, including Hong Kong: Six

Apple stores in the United States: 245

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