The smashing of an apple ice sculpture at the launch of Hanvon's TouchPad on Tuesday signaled its challenge to Apple's dominance in the Internet tablet PC market.

The launch date for the Apple iPad in China has still not been confirmed and Hanvon hopes the TouchPad will beat its rival in time, price and consumer appeal.

The most basic version of the TouchPad will be available for about $880. The device, which runs Windows XP, has a 120 gigabyte hard drive, a gig of ram, and 1.3 megapixel web cameras on the front and back. The tablet is slightly longer than the Apple iPad, but is narrower and slightly thinner.

Wang Xing, a computer game enthusiast, was impressed with the TouchPad’s compatibility with popular online games.

[Wang Xing, Computer Game Enthusiast]:
"It's like this, just like this, like an iPad experience. I think it's already quite well made. This software looks like it was made by a Chinese company. At the same time, there are a lot games like Plants versus Zombies. We usually play these simultaneous games on a PC, like those PCs that you have on a desk. But if one could very smoothly and very easily move them onto an Internet tablet PC, then I think, users would want it."

Hanvon's CEO, Zhang Xuejun, also emphasized the TouchPad's multi-functionality and usefulness for professional applications.

[Zhang Xuejun, CEO, Hanvon]:
"Because when China's businessmen are on the go, they will definitely take their own computer with them. If they were to take an Apple iPad, then it would become very heavy and very big. However, if they were to take Hanvon's TouchPad, then they would be able to do all: work, enjoy entertainment, study and relax. Therefore, I think that they will definitely use China's TouchPad and not Apple's iPad."

However, the TouchPad's success is likely to hinge on more than just the features, with competition expected from China’s thriving black market – smuggled devices and software that is not officially available in China.