Apple to open retail stores in Taiwan

The Cupertino, Calif-based Apple will reportedly set up a flagship store in downtown Taipei to help boost sales of its new consumer electronic product-line, including the iPod digital music player.

The flagship location will also be complimented by two similar, but smaller franchised shops in downtown area, the Taiwanese publication says. Unfortunately, no specific dates or timeframes for the store openings were made available.

In addition to the three planned retail locations, Apple Taiwan will also hook-up with local 7-11 convenience chain stores to sell the silver-color iPod mini models around the island.

The computer company currently outsources a large percentage of its notebook and desktop manufacturing in Taiwan through locally operating companies such as Quanta, Compal and Hon Hai (Foxconn).