Apple's recent launch of its "new" iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C models in China has already been a spectacular failure, which was something of a surprise to many. Apple's decision to include China in its initial launch, the first time it has chosen to do so, also surprised many.

However, the reasons behind Apple's unprecedented problems in China lie far deeper than the much-publicized pricing and product feature factors.

Apple's iPhone 5C was probably priced too high and the iPhone 5S does not offer Chinese potential buyers anything significantly new.