Apple threw open the doors to its first store in Hong Kong,

Apple threw open the doors to its first store in Hong Kong, its latest push to tap the booming China market, as shoppers were greeted with boisterous chanting and high-fives from staff.

The minimalist store spread over two floors in one of Hong Kong’s most upmarket shopping malls is Apple’s sixth outlet in China, launching just a day after the doors opened on another new branch in Shanghai.

Apple’s second quarter revenue in greater China — which includes Hong Kong and Taiwan — reached US$3.8 billion, a six-fold rise on the same period a year earlier, making the region a key driver of the company’s record results.

Die-hard fans in China, which has the world’s largest online population with 485 million users, have been known to line up for days to get their hands on the latest Apple products.

A queue of more than a thousand people snaked along an overpass near Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbour, with some people waiting from Friday afternoon to be among the first inside on Saturday.

Employees handing out free t-shirts chanted “Apple, Apple” and high-fived shoppers as they made their way up a spiral staircase set against a window showcasing the city’s skyline.

Previously, Apple products were available in Hong Kong through registered dealers and online, but the opening Saturday marked the first branded Apple store in the southern Chinese territory.

Source AP