( CNN ) -- Apple CEO Tim Cook expects China , the world 's most populous country , to become the No . 1 market for the company . Equally heavyweight tech companies Google or Facebook can only watch with envy . It is not because of lack of effort that they are nowhere near the success of Apple in China . Their businesses are just too different . The Chinese government 's tight control on freedom of information flow applies especially to the Internet . Web access is filtered on a regular basis . Social media websites such as Facebook and Twitter are blocked because the government deems them as potential hot spots for facilitating politically sensitive or socially inappropriate content . Meanwhile , Google is operational in China but has to route all searches to its Hong Kong site , and the access is often interrupted . So , it is fair to say that the Chinese government is the reason why companies such as Google and Facebook are not doing well in China . In contrast , Apple mainly sells hardware , so it has not run into any censorship problems . Chinese consumers love electronic gadgets . Mobile phones are ubiquitous . Apple is doing incredibly well because its products are so much more attractive and pricy . The iPhone quickly become a status symbol product in Chinese social circles since its debut . Likewise , the iPad also joined the must-have list as soon as it was launched . If someone wants to lubricate his `` guanxi '' -- relationship -- with an important person , these two products are often the gift of choice . Before the iPad reached China , a businessman in Shanghai told me that in the back of his car trunk , he had stocked at least 20 iPads , all bought in Hong Kong . `` It is the most-loved present for government officials , '' he claimed . The social pressure of having an Apple product is strong , especially as the wealthy elites set the trend . If a middle class Chinese consumer can not afford an expensive car or watch , sporting an iPhone may be just as good . Even the bad press surrounding Foxconn , the main manufacturer of Apple products , did not make too much of a dent on the company 's sales . There is no doubt that China will be an important market for Apple in the coming years . Among the three main telecommunications companies in the country , China Mobile is the only one without Apple 's iPhone support despite the fact that it is the largest operator with nearly 700 million subscribers . Many high-end China Mobile customers still stay in 2G network because China Mobile 's 3G network does not have iPhones . If China Mobile gets its own version of iPhone , as rumor has it recently , then it would be a shot in the arm for Apple . Interestingly enough , Apple 's growth in China is all from its hardware . Its iTunes store sales from music , videos , books or apps downloads are almost negligible . This has nothing to do with the government . There is no censorship of iTunes other than Apple 's own self-screening mechanism . Poor sales from iTunes store owe more to the fact that the Chinese are habitually reluctant to pay for intellectual properties . To make things worse , there are so many websites that offer `` jailbreak '' tips so that people can easily bypass Apple and get free downloads elsewhere . There are rumors that Apple might consider adding a cheaper version of the iPhone for the Chinese market . In light of the fast growing smartphone market , cheaper phones seem to make sense especially since there are still millions of Chinese who can not afford a pricy iPhone of 5000 yuan ( roughly $ 800 dollars ) . But Apple should stay away from the idea . It does not make sense to sacrifice profit margin just for a greater market share . Doing so would tarnish the premium image of Apple and erode the love and loyalty of the elites . One lesson that Apple can learn is that not long ago , Nokia used to own the Chinese market but it became so popular that it lost its appeal to the elites . Nokia ended up trying a new brand , Vertu , to entice consumers , but it was not very successful . By building more retail stores in China , Apple would certainly accelerate its growth . But the challenge is to maintain its prestige so that consumers would not lose interest and crave for a new elite brand . Apple might also want to rethink its iTunes Store business model in China so that it can generate sales in other ways . Hardware comes and goes . One day , Apple products can and will be replaced . But demand for books , movies , music , and apps is ongoing . Will Apple find a way to tap into the Chinese consumption for content ? We 'll just have to see . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Jeongwen Chiang .
Apple CEO Tim Cook expects China to become the No . 1 market for the company . Jeongwen Chiang : The Chinese government is investing heavily in its tech sector, and it's not just a matter of buying up companies like Alibaba or Tencent ; they're also building their own technology platforms that are designed He says Apple mainly sells hardware , which does n't run into censorship problems . Chiang : iPhones and iPads are also considered status symbols among elites .