In China, Apple Finds a Sweet Spot

This article reports on the craze on Apple products that is hitting China. Apple opened it's first store in Shanghai only one year ago. It's size is 16,000 ft, which is humongous compared to most other spaces in the world's most crowded city. Despite it's large size, it to has become overcrowded. The statistics go on, but basically Apple is now opening it's third store in the same city. This seems to be due to [what I see as] an addiction that has overcome many Chinese people. The article talks about a teen, Wang Shangyan, who has bought an iPod Touch, iPod, iPad 2 and MacBook all in the past year. He also plans to buy the iPhone 5 "no matter the cost".
When I think of China, I think of small apartments, and thousands of people riding bicycles down narrow streets. However, we all know that Apple products are not cheap. I thought the most interesting part of this article was that the Apple craze shows that a upper-middle class is emerging in the public.
We all know how to spot a fake iPhone. Hundreds of them spawn every day on eBay for only $5. But can you spot a fake Apple Store? The Apple Craze in China has also led to the opening of multiple stores with slightly different branding and selling all ripoff Apple products. The average American would be able to spot the difference immediately, but for the unexperienced consumer living in China, it sounds like a great deal to get an sleek, minimal, industrially-designed, "life-changing" product for 1% of the retail price.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/25/technology/apple-sales-in-china-zoom-ahead-of-competitors.html?ref=technology