Apple Offers Rare iPhone Discounts in China to Counter Sales Slump

[MacRumors]

Apple will launch a rare promotional discount on its iPhones in China, offering customers as much as 500 yuan ($70) off the price of its flagship devices ahead of the Lunar New Year in February.

The promotion, which runs from January 18 through January 21, applies to everything from the iPhone 13 to the iPhone 15 Pro Max, and also includes smaller discounts off other major Apple products like Macs, iPads, AirPods, and Apple Watch models.

Apple's discounts are notable because the company does not typically offer promotions on its website around the Lunar New Year, usually leaving promotions to Apple authorized resellers instead.

The move comes as Apple tries to stave off falling iPhone sales in China, with last year's double-digit decline projected by analysts to deepen through 2024 owing to strong interest in Huawei's latest home-grown lineup, the Mate 60 series.

Released in September just weeks before the iPhone 15, Huawei's Mate 60 phones use a new China-made 7-nanometer processor tailored for the local market, showcasing the kind of advanced semiconductor manufacturing capabilities that US sanctions were originally designed to prevent.

Despite the promotions, Apple's efforts to counter its sales slump are likely to be hampered by China's decision last year to ban iPhones from the offices of multiple government agencies and state companies.

Article Link: Apple Offers Rare iPhone Discounts in China to Counter Sales Slump

 

[kaishockz]

Apple is doomed (in China)

 

[sunapple]

The catch is that you have to pick it up at the factory.

 

[Steve121178]

The catch is that you have to pick it up at the factory.

Perhaps they can catch unhappy employees jumping out the windows while they are there.

 

[femike]

China is about to get the third most popular independent mobile operating system, HarmonyOS4 which may come installed on the Huawei Mate 70 this year. It's RMB12000 for iPhone 15 Pro Max with 512GB storage which currently has a RMB500 discount which is about 4%, which is nothing to write home about.

 

[adrianlondon]

discounts off

discounts on

 

[MilaM]

I'm curious how Apple is doing in the Chinese market. In some sectors like automobiles, consumers seem to increasingly prefer local brands. Would not surprise me if we see similar developments in the smartphone market.

 

[iamgalt]

Must appease the Chinese overlords.

 

[WarmWinterHat]

I'm curious how Apple is doing in the Chinese market. In some sectors like automobiles, consumers seem to increasingly prefer local brands. Would not surprise me if we see similar developments in the smartphone market.

We have Chinese medical students often at work, and they almost always carry iPhones. It could be because they are in the US, though. I'll ask next time I talk to one.

 

[nuff_said]

I'm curious how Apple is doing in the Chinese market. In some sectors like automobiles, consumers seem to increasingly prefer local brands. Would not surprise me if we see similar developments in the smartphone market.

I believe, on a cost per unit basis, Apple is doing just fine in China - just like they are everywhere in the world, but the issue is units moved. This minor discount won’t help much because you’re attempting to attract a Chinese audience who are, just like most other people anywhere, facing larger issues than having the newest iPhone - which, if I recall correctly, Chinese carriers don’t offer subsidized contracts for.
Furthermore, Xiaomi, Huawei, and other Chinese companies are getting significantly better at locking people into their own respective ecosystems providing better and, more importantly, local experiences and benefits, at a fraction of the price Apple does.
I’m sure I’ll get a bunch of dislikes for this but here we go: Xiaomi, for example, has a large and valuable ecosystem offering in China at better prices and a more aesthetically pleasing hardware that works incredibly well when compared to what Apple provides (i.e. phone, watch, laptop, desktop, headphones, and soon headset)

 

[DelayedGratificationGene]

Apple is double doomed!

 

[toobravetosave]

Perhaps they can catch unhappy employees jumping out the windows while they are there.

someone tell him the suicide rate in america is over 50% higher

 

[JPack]

iPhone 15 is already $200 off if you buy from an official reseller like PDD, Tmall, JD, etc.

 

[Octavius8]

Lack of innovation. Sadly we won't experience those advanced phones.
Stuck with 15 PM which is a 14, which is a 13 basically. Same speed, 1 or 2 not so frequently used "new" features (and also some Features removed), and, off course, titanium as the greatest innovation in phone.Ever..

 

[Shanghai_Hoosier]

I believe, on a cost per unit basis, Apple is doing just fine in China - just like they are everywhere in the world, but the issue is units moved. This minor discount won’t help much because you’re attempting to attract a Chinese audience who are, just like most other people anywhere, facing larger issues than having the newest iPhone - which, if I recall correctly, Chinese carriers don’t offer subsidized contracts for.
Furthermore, Xiaomi, Huawei, and other Chinese companies are getting significantly better at locking people into their own respective ecosystems providing better and, more importantly, local experiences and benefits, at a fraction of the price Apple does.
I’m sure I’ll get a bunch of dislikes for this but here we go: Xiaomi, for example, has a large and valuable ecosystem offering in China at better prices and a more aesthetically pleasing hardware that works incredibly well when compared to what Apple provides (i.e. phone, watch, laptop, desktop, headphones, and soon headset)

The carrier contracts here are a little bit different. For example, we can buy an iPhone from a carrier we pay full price that is tied to a certain contract (data/sms/mins). Then each month a certain amount of money is credited to our account out of the money we paid upfront. There are many different ways to work it out.

Yea, I use Xiaomi for my secondary devices and smart home setup.

 

[ksec]

The iPhone 15 in China is roughly $849 USD, that is including 13% VAT Tax and Import Tax. Making it officially the lowest selling price from Apple in all region.

 

[Sanmi]

someone tell him the suicide rate in america is over 50% higher

Someone tell him not to trust the CCP’s statistics 😅

 

[iZac]

You can probably still find them cheaper on JinDong

 

[ybbbbbbb]

After living in China for 30 years, I found that because of the blockade of the Internet, I couldn't communicate with cultural exchanges, couldn't make a sound, and the world didn't know everything here.

 

[toobravetosave]

Someone tell him not to trust the CCP’s statistics 😅

how convenient for you

 

[JamestheCharming]

Two reasons:
1. Apple hardware stopped advancing. Apple chip awesomeness basically stops at A15. Because A16, A17 are lacklusters when compared to 8Gen2, 8Gen3.
2. Local brands provide more convenient local feature and they are way cheaper.

e.g Redmi K70 costs 1/4th of the price to get iPhone 15 Pro Max like hardware performance with tons of local features that iPhone is missing.

p.s. I'm not saying K70 is better than ip15 Max. I always think Apple magic can justify 2x price gap (as it was). But when it comes to 4x price difference? come on, dude!
And there are higher-end 8Gen3 phones which are as expensive as vanila iPhone 15, but they are on 8Gen3, which is even better than A17 in a ip15 Max, and hence 2 generations ahead of A16 in the vanila iPhone 15 (and they offer with 120hz display, 120W charging).

So as I Chinese I don't feel surprised at all when they say iPhone 15 (vanila) sales drop epically.

I actually think vanila models should fail globally given they dare to put a last year chip into an $800 tax excl. USD phone. They started to do this nasty move since iPhone 14 and they are now just starting to pay the price.

(iOS is still much superior than Android tho)

 

[JamestheCharming]

The iPhone 15 in China is roughly $849 USD, that is including 13% VAT Tax and Import Tax. Making it officially the lowest selling price from Apple in all region.

This is also true. I was shocked at the price of these vanila models in USA and Canada. Why tf anyone would spend so MUCH money on these lacklusters....

 

[chineseguy38]

The Chinese are upset because iPhone 15 and 15 Plus are made in India.

 

[Sanmi]

how convenient for you

If you trust anything out of china that’s officially from the government I have an airport to sell to you

 

[svish]

Will be nice if Apple offers such discounts for various festivals across the world.