By Star Chang, posted Aug 25, 2011 at 7:22 PM, 767 views,

Chinese React to Apple CEO’s Resignation

Steve Jobs’ resignation from the top managing post of Apple has led many fans and industry analysts in China to question the future of the U.S. technology giant. Jobs’ resignation ranked as the day’s top hot topic on Sina Weibo, the country’s most popular microblogging site, collecting 1.5 million posts in just one afternoon, just hours after the California-based company announced that Jobs would be replaced by Tim Cook as Apple’s CEO. The immense popularity of Apple’s products have led some observers to believe China is becoming Apple’s largest market, so it may be no surprise that the Chinese Internet is abuzz over Jobs’ resignation …

Sina Weibo began hosting a special section on Jobs’ resignation and invited China Internet users to participate in online surveys on the matter. In response to the question, “How do you think Jobs’ resignation will affect Apple?”, half of the survey respondents said that the company would lose its soul, while 35 percent of respondents said the impact will be limited as long as Jobs stayed with the company at the post of board chairman. While 32 percent of respondents polled in another survey said they would be “loyal Apple fans” with or without Jobs, another 48 percent said they still intend to buy the iPhone 5 which assume to be announced in September this year, and 20 percent said they would no longer buy Apple products.

Here are some comments made by the Chinese fellows :

“If Jobs eventually leaves Apple, I will not buy Apple products any more.”

“Without Jobs, I won’t buy any Apple products, even if they update to iPhone 100.”

“Is Apple still Apple without Steve Jobs ?”

“At this moment, I’m only concerned about Jobs’ health. I wish him good luck in fighting illness and a tranquil period with his family.”

“Go for iPhone 5 as it is the final amazing art work of Steve Jobs.”

“Jobs is like an icon to many people. Thank you for giving us an opportunity to access the world’s advanced technology.”

While the company’s products are the apple of some consumers’ eyes, Jobs’ charisma is the factor drawing in some fans of the brand. Although there is some extreme fans who takes a dim view on the future of Apple, some expect the resignation may promote the sale of iPhone 5 which will be launched in China later this year, as fans may cherish the memory of the appealing innovator. In China, the iPhone officially went on sale in October 2009 and the iPad debuted in April 2010. Since then, Apple gadgets have been very popular in China. Long queues are common at the four authorized Apple stores in Beijing and Shanghai, and underground markets also thrive selling smuggled iPhones and iPads. Apple’s revenue in the Chinese mainland, Taiwan, and Hong Kong reached 3.8 billion U.S. dollars in the second quarter of this year, six times the amount in the same quarter last year.

Here are comments given by the Chinese market analyst :

Source: xinhuanet