Apple announced on its official Chinese website that from January 24 to 27, the Chinese market will offer discounts of up to 1,000 yuan (about $143.60) on selected models of iPhone, Mac, iPad, and Apple Watch.
According to the Apple China website, the eligible products include iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16, iPhone 16e, 13-inch MacBook Air (M4), 15-inch MacBook Air (M4), 14-inch MacBook Pro (M4 Pro or M4 Max), 16-inch MacBook Pro (M4 Pro or M4 Max), 14-inch MacBook Pro (M5), Mac mini, iMac, 11-inch iPad Pro (M5), 13-inch iPad Pro (M5), 11-inch iPad Air (M3), 13-inch iPad Air (M3), iPad (A16), iPad mini (A17 Pro), Apple Watch Ultra 3, Apple Watch Series 11, Apple Watch SE 3, AirPods 4, AirPods 4 (with active noise cancellation support), AirPods Max, and Apple Pencil Pro.
For iPhones, the iPhone 16 or iPhone 16 Plus can save 300 yuan, and the iPhone 16e can save 200 yuan. Several Apple computers have discounts of up to 1,000 yuan.
According to Counterpoint Research data, despite the increasingly severe shortage of key storage chips, Apple’s iPhone shipments in the Chinese market have grown by 28%, reclaiming the top spot.
The research firm estimates that the iPhone 17 series has attracted many consumers, with Apple’s phones accounting for one-fifth of the shipments in the December quarter. This growth came at the expense of Huawei and Xiaomi, as both companies saw double-digit percentage declines in shipments. Overall, smartphone shipments in the Chinese market decreased by 1.6%.
However, Apple added that the latest iPhone 17 is not included in this promotion.
Apple expects shipments in 2025 to increase by 7.5%. The iPhone Air has been a flaw in Apple’s performance, with its launch in China delayed compared to other regions, and poor sales.
Bloomberg reported on January 19 that “the performance of the iPhone Air is below expectations.” Counterpoint analyst Ivan Lam stated, “The late launch time and trade-offs made between thickness and feature configuration have led to a slow start in sales.”