‘Ruiyang’ apple is a new lateripening red apple cultivar which has a good prospect for cultivation. In this study, ‘Ruiyang’ and its female parent ‘Qinguan’, male parent ‘Fuji’ were experimental materials. The fruit growth and development (including fruit longitudinal diameter, transverse diameter and fruit shape index), color change (color parameters L^*, a^*, b^* and cyanine contents) and the effect of harvest period on fruit quality (starch index, fruit firmness, total soluble solids and titratable acid) were studied. (1) Studies on fruit development showed that the longitudinal diameter grew faster and the fruit shape index was larger in the early stage of fruit growth. As the fruit grew, the transverse diameter growth became larger, and the fruit shape index begun to decrease, the fruit shape index fell to the lowest value at 105 days after full bloom. The fruit shape index of ‘Ruiyang’(0.86)was between ‘Qinguan’ and ‘Fuji’, when close to the fruit ripe. (2) Fruit color studies showed that after bag removal, a^* and anthocyanin were consequently augmented, while L^*, b^* reduced of the debagging and exposed peel. The values of a^* and anthocyanin of the bagged fruit were higher than that of exposed peel, but there were little difference among ‘Ruiyang’. (3) Studies on harvest period showed that the starch index showed an increasing trend with the increase in the number of days after harvest in different harvest date, and fruit firmness and titratable acid showed a decreasing trend. The total soluble solids increased first and then decreased. Therefore, considering the starch index, fruit firmness, total soluble solids and titratable acid, the harvest on 174 days after full bloom is the best harvest period for ‘Ruiyang’ apple in Shaanxi Weibei area and its ecological environment similar to the apple producing areas. The studied was that the fruit enlargement period of ‘Ruiyang’ appeared about 105 days after full bloom. There were no significant difference between debagging and exposed peel of ‘Ruiyang’, The best harvest period for ‘Ruiyang’ apple was on 174 days after full bloom in Shaanxi Weibei area.