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Apple’s promotional center sparks controversy on Chinese campus

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Apple may be one of the hottest aspirational brands in China, but students from the country’s most prestigious university are accusing the company of invading precious study space by opening a promotional center inside a campus library.

The glass-enclosed Apple Experience Center will occupy about 430 square feet in a former study area on the third floor of Peking University’s main library, according to the People’s Daily.

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Students will get to tool around on Apple gadgets to help with their studies and order products at a discount, the state-run newspaper reported.

But some students say the center inappropriately combines consumerism with academics –- a mix that is already more than familiar on American campuses.

‘It’s totally against the spirit and environment of the library,’ said a student surnamed Chen, according to the People’s Daily. ‘Apple should have discounts or give-back activities if they want self-promotion, other than introducing this commercial thing into a sacred place like this.’

Other students noted that competition is fierce for seats inside the library and that the center would only make a shortage of study space worse.

‘They shouldn’t take up precious self-study facilities,’ Xiao Wu, a student, told the National Business Daily.

The center is being managed by a licensed Apple dealer called Shanghai Lianyu Technology Development Co.

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Nine universities in China feature similar centers, though all in non-academic areas of campus, according to Apple’s Chinese website.

The Cupertino, Calif.-based company has experienced phenomenal growth in China in recent years, capturing a cult-like following among the country’s growing middle and upper classes.

The company’s revenue in greater China, which includes Hong Kong, reached $8.8 billion the first three quarters of this year -– six times more than a year ago.

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-- David Pierson

Twitter.com/dhpierson

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