Report on Major Drop in Apple iPhone Sales in China

Date: 2024-03-06 13:20:57
Author: Yao Liwei

Recently, there have been reports on a significant 24% decline in Apple iPhone sales in China, intensifying the competition with local Chinese smartphone manufacturers such as Huawei. According to a report released by the Hong Kong market research company Counterpoint, within the first six weeks of 2024, sales of Apple’s smartphone iPhone in China decreased by 24% compared to the previous year. This data reflects the competitive landscape and declining market share of Apple in the Chinese market.

Counterpoint’s data reveals that despite an overall 7% decrease in smartphone sales in China, major players like Apple, OPPO, and vivo experienced double-digit declines in sales. However, Huawei’s new “Mate60” series recorded a remarkable 64% year-on-year growth in sales. Counterpoint’s analysis attributes this to consumers perceiving a lack of innovation in the iPhone 15 and Apple having to implement a temporary price reduction strategy in January to boost sales due to the declining market trend in China.

Simultaneously, domestic Chinese smartphone manufacturers are actively introducing products with new features like generative AI and photo editing to attract consumers. Companies such as Honor and vivo have made significant strides in the field of AI. While Apple plans to unveil its generative AI strategy in 2024, the general consensus in the market is that Apple is lagging behind its competitors in this area.

As the year 2024 progresses, Apple’s stock price continues to underperform, with its total market value now surpassed by the American company Microsoft. These trends indicate a gradual weakening of Apple’s competitiveness in the Chinese market.