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Apple Shipped 2.5 Million iPhones in China in March, Rebounding Slightly From February Slump

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Apple shipped around 2.5 million iPhones in China last month, rebounding slightly after one of its worst months in the country on record (via Reuters).

iphone_11_china.jpg

Apple sold fewer than 500,000 iPhones in February amid curbs on travel and transport, amounting to an almost 60 percent slump in iPhone sales.

Mobile phone companies in general are hoping to see demand recover in China, where restrictions on movement have recently eased. Many are looking to increase sales in the country as a way to cushion declines in overseas markets in the coming months.

Meanwhile, multiple third-party resellers in China have been offering discounts on Apple's iPhone 11 lineup in an attempt to bolster demand during a time when consumer confidence and spending is lower.

Chinese resellers offered similar discounts on iPhone XS and iPhone XR models in early 2019, shortly after Apple lowered its revenue guidance for the first quarter of its 2019 fiscal year due to fewer iPhone upgrades than it had anticipated.

Article Link: Apple Shipped 2.5 Million iPhones in China in March, Rebounding Slightly From February Slump
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2020/04/14/apple-shipped-two-half-million-iphones-china-march/
Whenever Apple Watch launches an entry-level iPhone, (which is likely imminent), I think that will also help iPhone sales that will create an affordable, entry-level iPhone that separates itself away from the more expensive ‘iPhone Pro’ that consumers probably don’t see the value in, nor care to spend that kind of money.
 
There is a lot of speculation of what a post coronavirus economy will look like. China being ground zero but seems to be getting back to “normal” life. April will be the test. Because these number could be just pent up demand from February
 
So from other sources it’s about 1/5th lower than March 2019 sales. Need to compare yoy guys....that’s awesome considering March was the end of the world
 
PickUrPoison said:
From shipping 500k to shipping 2.5 million is still a 4x increase. Stores don’t submit orders and reorders if they’re not selling product. No one wants to sit on dead inventory.
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Exactly.

I love it when people think Apple just blindly ships products to stores but the stores are unable to sell them to consumers. It's as if an iPhone will sit on a shelf for months at a time.

I guess people think that iPhones end up like all those E.T. cartridges buried in the desert.

:p
 
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robjulo said:
Yet that exact opposite rationale is often set forth on here when competitors cite shipment data. As though there are warehouses full of unsold Galaxy phones.
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At the time when Nokia fell down the cliff, that was actually the case (with Nokia phones obviously). And there have been times when Samsung shipped three months worth of sales of new phones.
 
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damphoose said:
There is a lot of speculation of what a post coronavirus economy will look like. China being ground zero but seems to be getting back to “normal” life. April will be the test. Because these number could be just pent up demand from February
Click to expand...

China will be the first to get back in the saddle in a big way. They know this and are already deeply planning the strategy. I see India being the largest looser in a comeback due their inability to contain a second wave when it comes. China has implemented unprecedented monitoring of it's populations (not saying it's a positive development from a privacy point) but it will enable them to best deal with any second waves. Unlike other countries they also have that widely seen ability to simply weld your doors shut to keep you in your home if you're symptomatic. Not an option in the majority of the world.

I'm hopeful some production can move back to the US after all the painful lessons we are learning during this disaster regarding our vulnerability in domestic production. Unfortunately, I am also a realist, and don't see corporate America changing.
 
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robjulo said:
Yet that exact opposite rationale is often set forth on here when competitors cite shipment data. As though there are warehouses full of unsold Galaxy phones.
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I can’t speak for other posters or any particular competitor’s practices, though some companies have been known to stuff the channel (with product that later gets rebated after being sold in “two-fer” deals).

But I haven’t seen anyone arguing about overstated android shipments for years. I do have hundreds of trolls blocked though, so I might’ve missed those posts. Feel free to link them and I’ll comment.
 
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Glideslope said:
China will be the first to get back in the saddle in a big way. They know this and are already deeply planning the strategy. I see India being the largest looser in a comeback due their inability to contain a second wave when it comes. China has implemented unprecedented monitoring of it's populations (not saying it's a positive development from a privacy point) but it will enable them to best deal with any second waves. Unlike other countries they also have that widely seen ability to simply weld your doors shut to keep you in your home if you're symptomatic. Not an option in the majority of the world.

I'm hopeful some production can move back to the US after all the painful lessons we are learning during this disaster regarding our vulnerability in domestic production. Unfortunately, I am also a realist, and don't see corporate America changing.
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I think we’ll find we had more disruption in domestic production than our foreign suppliers. But I do think there are certain strategic products for which we shouldn’t be reliant on other countries—including certain pharmaceuticals. I’m not sure iPhones are a strategic product though.

The US government will probably have to incentivize (subsidize) the domestic production of those products they want companies to bring back, though. Otherwise it won’t be economically viable, and it won’t happen.
 
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Charles Cohen said:
If Apple keep making money in these F'ed times they better be giving back in a big way. If people keep dying they inadvertently wont have customers.
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This is how Apple is giving back and it may just save us all!

www.macrumors.com

Apple and Google Partner on Opt-In COVID-19 Contact Tracing Technology to Be Added to iPhone and Android Smartphones

Apple and Google today announced a joint effort that will see them using Bluetooth technology to help governments and health agencies reduce the...
www.macrumors.com www.macrumors.com
 
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Charles Cohen said:
If Apple keep making money in these F'ed times they better be giving back in a big way. If people keep dying they inadvertently wont have customers.
Click to expand...
What are you talking about? There are 7+ billion people and Apple exists to make money. They aren’t turning into a charity because of a respiratory virus current event.
 
This is a temporary blip. Things are going to get a whole lot worse for everyone very soon.
 
I7guy said:
Unfortunately true, along with the remainder of the global economy.
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fortunately February is behind us, let’s hope this pandemic will too, then there’ll be time to mourn those that did not make it. And we can all learn from this (Governments and Health Care organizations around the world).
 
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