After opening shops in Beijing and Shanghai, Apple has flicked the switch on its Chinese Apple Store giving customers one more way to buy into the Apple brand.

The online store in China features free shipping, free personalised engraving on any iPod or iPad, and the ability to custom configure a new Mac.

It will also offer a wide selection of third-party products and is the only place online to buy the red iPod nano.

“We are thrilled to open our newest online store in China,” said Tim Cook, Apple's COO. “With personalised engraving, configure-to-order options and free shipping on everything, the Apple Store is a great destination for our customers in China.

And from today customers in China can access the App Store in Simplified Chinese, with localised featured apps and charts of the most popular paid and free apps in China.