然后就是苹果也顶不住了——财富：由于当地竞争对其销售造成压力，苹果公司今年第二次下调了中国 iPhone 的价格

苹果，高端品牌的象征哈，也顶不住了，只好降价，断崖式的。

 

财富

由于当地竞争对其销售造成压力，苹果公司今年第二次下调了中国 iPhone 的价格

苹果刚刚在中国推出了新一轮折扣，这对于该公司试图维持其在全球第二大经济体地位的举动来说是不寻常的举动。

据国营《环球时报》报道，苹果公司周一在京东和阿里巴巴天猫等中国电子商务平台上启动了新一轮折扣，将最新 iPhone 15 型号的价格削减了 20% 以上。 据路透社报道，天猫的折扣高达 2,300 元（138 美元）。 促销活动持续至5月28日。

 

Apple slashes iPhone prices in China for the second time this year as local competition pressures its sales

 

Story by Lionel Lim

 

 

 

 

Apple just launched another round of discounts in China, an out-of-character move for the company as it tries to maintain its position in the world’s second-largest economy.

Apple started a new round of discounts on Chinese e-commerce platforms like JD.com and Alibaba's Tmall on Monday, slashing prices of the newest iPhone 15 model by over 20%, according to state-run Global Times. Discounts reached as high as 2,300 yuan ($138) on Tmall, Reuters reports. The promotion runs until May 28.

It’s Apple’s second round of discounts this year. In January, Apple offered a 500 yuan ($69) discount on its official website in China over a three-day period just before the Lunar New Year. Third-party resellers have also offered discounts on the iPhone 15.

Analysts say that Apple's discounts are necessary to preserve the company's market position in the country

"Apple's second price cut in China this year is a strategic move to defend its share in the premium segment," says Ivan Lam, a senior analyst at Counterpoint Research. He suggests that Apple is trading hardware revenue in the short-term for a long-term increase in "service-related revenue."

And Monday's discount might not be Apple's last in China. "Apple is riding the value-seeking trend in China,” said Will Wong, senior research manager for the Client Devices Group at IDC Asia-Pacific. “Chinese consumers are well-informed about price discounts...so it’ll be hard for Apple not to offer similar incentives in the future."

Apple’s China revenue dropped by 8% year-on-year in the first quarter of 2024, though CEO Tim Cook claimed on the company’s earnings call that iPhone sales in China grew over that time period, without providing specifics. Cook also said the iPhone 15 and 15 Pro Max were the two bestselling phones in "urban China".

Greater China—a grouping that includes mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan—represented 19% of Apple's total 2023 revenue, making it the third-largest region by sales.

That datapoint contrasts with a steady drumbeat of independent analysis showing Apple struggling to hold onto its market share. Apple’s sales declined by 19.1% year-on-year in the first quarter of the year, while Huawei and HONOR’s sales rose by 69.7% and 11.5% respectively, according to data from Counterpoint Research.

Huawei’s sales have been on the rise since it released the Mate 60 Pro series of phones last August. The company released a new range of high-end smartphones, the Pura 70 series, in April. Two models of the Pura 70 series sold out on Huawei’s official online store just a minute after their release, according to Reuters.  

Wong suggests that, instead of lowering prices, Apple needs to offer more "wow" factors for Chinese consumers. The company's Android competitors “have brought AI features and foldable form factor to the users to maintain customer stickiness”.

Apple is reportedly talking with companies like Google and China's Baidu to provide AI services for the iPhone. It's also working on a foldable phone, The Information reported in February.

Apple slashes iPhone prices in China for the second time this year as local competition pressures its sales (msn.com)