Ahead of its much anticipated China release, the MacBook Air was released earlier this week in Honk Kong.

As expected the super-thin Apple laptop attracted a considerable crowd that created long lines and sold out pretty quickly, which is fairly impressive if you consider that it’s just a refreshed laptop.

The crowd though wasn’t only interested in the 11 and 13-inch lappie: stores in the ex-British colony were in fact sold out of iPhone 4 and certain models of iPad 2.

The refreshed Sandy Bridge MacBook Airs are scheduled to go on sale in mainland China next week, where analysts are predicting a similar welcome.

“Based on our field checks, we believe the new MacBook Air is poised to be a big hit in the Greater china region as more consumers can increasingly afford to own a PC,” said Brian White from Ticonderoga Securities. “Apple fever is gaining momentum in the region and there is no laptop product in the market with the characteristics of the new MacBook Air.”

White noted that Apple revenue in China during the last quarter has grown six fold, to reach a $3.8 billion. The investor believes  that they are barely “scratching the surface!”

Apple retail stores in China, the authentic ones [lolz], are said to be sold out also of the previous-generation MacBook Air, which is normally the indication of an imminent release.

“Our checks indicate the new MacBook Air will launch in China as early as next week at some stores (i.e., Apple or authorized resellers) and in September at others,” he said. “Apple currently has four stores in mainland China but has plans for expansion in Huangzhou and Sichuan later this year.”

Apple is currently building in Shanghai what will become China’s largest Apple Store, that is expected to have a daily traffic of over 40,000 people.


(Via: AppleInsider)