Why No Apple Store In SINGAPORE?

[myo539]

Probably because the other places like Hong Kong and China have pirated products all over the place. Selling Apple products in official Apple Store will ensure that genuine products are on sale. Same with Manchester United store selling MU products. In Singapore, the copyright laws are strictly enforced. So you can't get pirated Apple products from blackmarket or retailers.

Anyway, way before Apple, there were cherry, pineapple and orange computer products in this part of the world. What happens to them? We should also have own brand - Durian, Mangosteen and Chempedak

 

[exSINgaporean]

I have just received an email from Apple Store, the contents was, they announced the opening of their Hong Kong Store , with beautiful photos of the store.

Why no APPLE STORE in SINgapore?, Why?

Simple answer.....Singapore has already got lots of "durian" stores!

 

[Ramseth]

Apple doesn't directly open Apple Store in any county or city. They work on franchise agreement basis. Singapore is Microsoft country and a small city-state at that. Nobody dares to put up the capital for an Apple franchise.

 

[hokkienpeng]

very simple. apple is selective and can't be operating retail stores everywhere or every freaking city. singaporlumpar just does not cut it as among the top twenty cities in the world. deal with it.

Really? So Burlingame, CA is among the top twenty cities in the world? Where I live there are two Apple Stores within walking distance of each other.

Apple Stores exist not to sell products but as an advertisement. It's one of the greatest innovations in advertising, not any less impressive than Apple's innovations in design and technology. Apple created an advertisement where you can actually touch and play with the products instead of just seeing pretty images; where you get to talk to hip and enthusiastic youths (the "specialists" and "geniuses") who are themselves excited about the products instead of just hearing the usual hard-sell rhetoric from salesmen who just want you to buy the damn thing.

Apple doesn't really care if you buy anything from their retail stores. The "specialists" are not rewarded based on the number of units they move. Apple just wants to you to leave the store feeling good and awed. During the early days, they even provide you with free Evian bottled water while you are in the store to add to your experience.

Profitability of the stores is of secondary concern to Apple. I broke my 3-year old Super Drive because I careless plugged it into a non-USB compliant port. I didn't have Apple Care but I went to an Apple Store, told them it was my own fault and asked them for a price estimate to repair the drive. They gave me a brand new replacement, latest model, at no charge, right on the spot. I challenge anyone to come up with a better advertisement for good service.

Singapore will have its store at some point, when Apple can be sure of reproducing this experience with a store staffed by Singaporeans.

 

[hokkienpeng]

Apple doesn't directly open Apple Store in any county or city. They work on franchise agreement basis. Singapore is Microsoft country and a small city-state at that. Nobody dares to put up the capital for an Apple franchise.

Complete load of crap.

 

[Ramseth]

Complete load of crap.

Singapore is not Burlingame. Singapore is not in US. You have to understand that to begin with. And don't tell me I don't know about Burlingame. It's just near SSF near the SFO airport.

 

[eatshitndie]

Really? So Burlingame, CA is among the top twenty cities in the world? Where I live there are two Apple Stores within walking distance of each other.
..............
Singapore will have its store at some point, when Apple can be sure of reproducing this experience with a store staffed by Singaporeans.

don't be a moron. burlingame is in the bay area, and this is apple's backyard. apple has stores in almost every city in the bay area except gangbang ghettos such as east palo alto, deep shit oakland and drive by richmond. we are talking
about retail presence in asia, far removed from apple headquarters. a typical suburban bay area city cannot be compared to a major asian city. we started off as small towns and they eventually grew and sprawled into each other and became neighboring cities, eventually becoming the greater bay area. population of sf is 6m, san jose 1m, and small towns wannabe cities 100k each. it's all about demand and willingness of customers to shell out big money. the combined bay area market alone accounts for more sales than kl, sg and jakarta put together. but hk as the gateway to south china will top that.

 

[Papsmearer]

What's the big deal? Just got to Epicentre Ion or Epicentre Orchard. Anything u can find at an Apple store in HKG, u can find there.

 

[Cruxx]

Probably because the other places like Hong Kong and China have pirated products all over the place. Selling Apple products in official Apple Store will ensure that genuine products are on sale. Same with Manchester United store selling MU products. In Singapore, the copyright laws are strictly enforced. So you can't get pirated Apple products from blackmarket or retailers.

Anyway, way before Apple, there were cherry, pineapple and orange computer products in this part of the world. What happens to them? We should also have own brand - Durian, Mangosteen and Chempedak

As with all things in Sinkieland, our durians are imported. Ask Sinkies to develop own brand? 6 out of 10 will say "你想太多了".

 

[Cestbon]

I doubt it's going to be any cheaper. I once work for a HDD distributor so I'm speaking from experience. They also have their own shop in Sim Lim but their price is more exp or the same as the other shops coz they supply the other shops with their products. If they sell cheaper it undercuts the profit of their sales partners.

What big companies like Apple do is they basically have "official" pricing for their goods so no matter who U buy from, be it direct from supplier or from a reseller, the price will be the same. If the official store gives a discount or have whatever promotion, they will give the same promotion to it's resellers. If the resellers have their own sale which cuts into their own profit margin then that's their own biz. So chances that the reseller actually have cheaper pricing then the supplier is actually higher then the other way round.

I doubt things have changed too much since then

U are right. If they sell cheaper. All distributor will not sell the product. Normally brand store like Apple/Sony/Samsumg.........................all selling at retail price no discount. Where distributor will give discount.

 

[middaydog]

Apple doesn't directly open Apple Store in any county or city. They work on franchise agreement basis. Singapore is Microsoft country and a small city-state at that. Nobody dares to put up the capital for an Apple franchise.

Apple store is not franchise, like Volkswagen sells their cars here

a friend in Bangkok wanted to franchise H&M brand over there, asked me to talk _ they told me they open own shops

 

[Ramseth]

Apple store is not franchise, like Volkswagen sells their cars here

a friend in Bangkok wanted to franchise H&M brand over there, asked me to talk _ they told me they open own shops

OK Uncle Botak. I believe you. I also hearsay only. Very complicating since got fake apple stores springing up. Reminds me of old days got fake apple stores selling pineapples, oranges and bananas.

 

[singveld]

singapore just too tiny for apple. just live with it, it is still a third world, when new apple product arrived, who get it first? not singapore. apple see singapore no up, steve jobs see singapore no up. just accept it.

 

[Cruxx]

singapore just too tiny for apple. just live with it, it is still a third world, when new apple product arrived, who get it first? not singapore. apple see singapore no up, steve jobs see singapore no up. just accept it.

I think you're exaggerating a little. Singapore is definitely not third world. It's more of a 2nd class country rather.

 

[singveld]

I think you're exaggerating a little. Singapore is definitely not third world. It's more of a 2nd class country rather.

not first tier nations in apple eyes.
just look at itune store for singapore, compare it with usa and japan, really rubbish.

 

[johnny333]

I think you're exaggerating a little. Singapore is definitely not third world. It's more of a 2nd class country rather.

Years ago when Apple still manufactured their products in Spore. Spore might have been relevant.

However with the failed policies of the PAP, it's now all about the sin industry: casinos, human trafficking, money laundering, Orchard/Geylang.....

 

[tonychat]

Apple understand what sinikfied means.. so why polluted their image by having their first world stores in sinkieland... Just swallow the hard truth sinkie.. your kind sucks...

 

[scroobal]

Not opening an Apple Store is not only a mystery to Singaporeans but to staff of Apple regional office. It appears to be mired in politics over not according some kind of audience to some chaps in Cupertino. It's has nothing do with with franchise, business agreements, resellers etc.

Anyone who has been to an Apple Store any where in the world will tell you that does not resemble remotely to a retail store. It is an experience by itself, the staff, the decor, the genius bars, the geeks etc. It's entertainment, it's a lifestyle destination, a service centre where they will replace one to one, bring in a load of floating experts to solve your wifi connectivity etc.

My sense is that it is a combination of factors and some issue with personalities. If you walk into an Apple Store in a major city you will see throngs of tourists loading their bags with products. Singapore is a known tourist and commercial hub and such a store would be boon. The interesting thing is that the default country settings for Apple devices sold outside US is actually Singapore's. Note that Philip Yeo has made a number of derogatory comments about Apple over the years. There has to be a story behind this and when 2 egos clash common sense and business acumen suffers. Guess who has a size of an ego the size of a battleship in Apple.

 

[singveld]

singapore poodle must have offended steve jobs in the past.

hk is not tier one when come to new product launch, look they have one too

 

[Alamaking]

Singapore = small market.... LOL