First Apple store in S. China opens Nov 3

Apple's first store in South China will open on Saturday at the Holiday Plaza in the Nanshan district of Shenzhen.

It will be the seventh Apple store on the Chinese mainland, with the other six located in Beijing and Shanghai.

Denny Tuza, Apple's retail director for greater China, said on Thursday that the company is excited with the Shenzhen store since China is a very important market for the company, and most Apple products are assembled in the city.

Fan Xingchen, an employee at a sales company and Apple fan, said he was looking forward to the opening. He already has four Apple products and plans to buy a new 15-inch Mac.

"For small accessories I will go to a reseller in the neighborhood, but if I buy a big thing like an iPhone or a computer, I will be more likely to go to an Apple store, I think they're more reliable and that the product life will be longer," he said.

Li Xiaofang, a local media employee, said that she will buy Apple products in Hong Kong since they are cheaper there.

"Shenzhen is next to Hong Kong and it's so convenient to travel back and forth, my boyfriend goes there several times a week, he brought two 8G iPhone 4 for his friends last week from Hong Kong, and each cost less than 3,000 yuan."

"Also, the new products are generally earlier in Hong Kong stores than on the mainland," she said.