Customers can be seen still lining up outside as an Apple store employee gives a class on how to use the new iPad 2 during the China launch at an Apple Store in central Beijing May 6, 2011.  [Photo/Agencies]

Competition

Analysts said Apple's products have become a brand-name accessory in China, the technological equivalent of a Louis Vuitton bag to Chinese women.

Tong Bin, analyst with the iResearch Consulting Group, said fast introduction of new products and attractive prices contributed to the popularity of Apple.

The company also has cut prices of existing products after launching new ones, which will add pressure on its rivals such as Samsung and Motorola as they attempt to catch up, he said.

Chinese consumers had purchased at least 800,000 iPads by the end of 2010, according to the provider of market intelligence IDC.

The research firm estimated that about 2.5 million tablet PCs will be sold through official channels in China this year, more than doubling the number in 2010.

In the first quarter of this year, Apple's products took up 78.33 percent of China's tablet computer market, much higher than the 5.12 percent share of Samsung's Galaxy Tab, according to analysts International.

Its market share in China was a little shy of the 80 percent in the global market. Sun Peilin, an analyst with Analysis International, said many other manufacturers are tapping into Chinese market in the sector, providing various types of products, which reduced Apple's dominance.

Moreover, many Chinese consumers are after tablet computers that cost less than 1000 yuan.

Apple's rival Lenovo Group, Chinese leading computer maker, launched its first tablet computer LePad in March, which is based on the Android 2.2 operating system. The product, starting at 3,499 yuan, comes in two versions that support WiFi and 3G services.

Chen Xudong, vice president of the company, said in March that Lenovo plans to launch an upgraded version of its tablet computer, LePad, in the fourth quarter of this year, accelerating its pace to catch up with Apple's latest iPad 2.

He said Lenovo will adopt a "multi-model" strategy in its battle with Apple in the tablet computer market and plan to take more than 30 percent of China's tablet computer market over the next two to three years.