看一下这些数据：

    • 第一代iPad直到2010年9月才开始在中国大陆销售，比美国上市时间晚了5个月。

    • 第二代iPad于2011年5月登陆中国大陆，比美国上市时间晚了2个月，而且还只提供Wi-Fi版本。

    • 第二代iPad 3G版今年9月终于在中国上市，比美国晚了6个月。

    • 11月19日起苹果（Apple）应用软件商店才开始接受人民币付款，迄今还不到5个星期。

    有鉴于此，11月份中国大陆的iPad应用程序下载量已经达到了几乎与美国相当的水平（准确地说是44%: 56%，如上面用国旗色标示的饼状图所示），这不由令人刮目相看。

    该饼状图数据来自上周四发布的Distimo报告。报告还指出：

    • 与美国相比，中国的iPad、iPhone应用程序下载量占比从2011年1月份的18%增加到了11月份的30%。

    • 尽管竞争对手的应用软件商店呈几何级数增长——举例来说，微软（Microsoft）的Windows Phone 7今年猛增了400%——但苹果仍然牢牢地占据着统治地位。苹果iPhone应用软件商店排名第一，iPad应用软件商店排名第三。排名第二的是谷歌（Google）的Android Market。

    • 虽然谷歌的操作系统占据了智能手机市场的最大份额，但安卓（Android）应用软件带来的收入远低于苹果。正如下图所示，iPad和iPhone应用软件产生的收入分别是谷歌Android Market的两倍以上和近四倍。

    Consider this:

    • The original iPad didn't go on sale on mainland China until September 2010, five months after its U.S. launch.

    • The iPad 2 arrived in May 2011, two months after its U.S. launch, and even then just in Wi-Fi-only versions.

    • The 3G iPad 2 finally launched in China in September, six months after it was available in the U.S.

    • Apple's (AAPL) App Store began accepting payments in Chinese Yuan on Nov. 19, less than five weeks ago.

    Given all that, it's quite remarkable that in November, nearly as many iPad apps (44% to be precise) were downloaded in China as in the U.S., as shown in the flag-colored pie chart at right.

    The chart was taken from a Distimo report issued Thursday. Among its other findings:

    • Chinese downloads of iPad and iPhone apps, relative to the U.S., grew from 18% in January 2011 to 30% in November.

    • Despite the geometric growth of its competitors' app stores -- apps for Microsoft's (MSFT) Windows Phone 7, for example, grew 400% this year -- Apple still still dominates. It's iPhone app store is No. 1 and its iPad app store No. 3 after Google's (GOOG) Android Market.

    • Although Google's OS has the lion's share of the smartphone market, revenues generated by Android apps lag far behind Apple's. As the chart below shows, the iPad generates more than double and the iPhone nearly four times the revenue of Google's Android Market.