Apple on Thursday launched its mobile payment service Apple Pay in China, pitting the US technology giant against strong domestic rivals in a large but already crowded market. Success in the world's second-largest economy is crucial for the California-based firm. Apple Pay is available in only a few other countries including the United States, Britain, Canada and Australia.
But unlike most other countries, mobile payment systems are already well-established in China and Apple does not have a first-mover advantage. "Can't wait for you to try it and see how incredibly easy it is to use!" Apple chief executive Tim Cook said of the service on a verified China microblog.
Some users complained of difficulties linking their bank cards, the key step to using the payment service, apparently because people rushed to sign up. "Apple Pay, I have already waited a long time for you in vain. But your back-end technology basically cannot survive in this hot spot China," said one in a microblog posting under the name Erzi Wangpeng. China had 359 million online payment users in mid-2015, up almost 18 percent in six months, according to the state-backed China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC).