Apple has launched a large discount promotion on the official Tmall website in China, with some iPhone models enjoying discounts of up to 2,300 yuan (318 US dollars).
At the same time, another large e-commerce retailer, JD.com’s Apple store, also offers similar discounts.
This promotion runs from May 20th to May 28th, with much greater discounts than Apple offered earlier this year.
In January, Apple began offering up to 500 yuan (70 US dollars) in discounts for iPhones in China, marking the first time in many years that Apple has lowered prices for new models. A month later, the iPhone 15 saw another price drop, with discounts of up to 1,150 yuan.
The latest discount reaches up to 2,300 yuan. The largest discount is on the 1TB iPhone 15 Pro Max model, with significant price reductions on other models as well.
For example, according to a survey by Reuters on Monday, the 128GB version of the basic iPhone 15 model has a discount of 1,400 yuan.
In the face of renewed price cuts, the California-based tech giant is seeking to defend its position in the high-end smartphone market, striving to overcome competition pressure from local companies such as Huawei, Vivo, and Xiaomi.
Last year, Huawei launched its latest smartphone series, Mate 60 Pro. At the same time, the Chinese Communist Party ordered government agencies and enterprises to stop using iPhones and switch to locally made products.
According to data from an international data company, Apple sold only 50.1 million iPhones in China from January to March, a nearly 10% drop compared to the same period in 2023.
However, Apple’s performance in March was much stronger compared to the previous two months. Data from the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology shows that iPhone sales in March increased by 12%, a 37% increase from January and February.
On May 2nd, Apple announced its financial performance for the second quarter of the 2024 fiscal year (the first quarter of the 2024 calendar year). While the second quarter profit slightly exceeded Wall Street’s expectations, overall revenue declined by 4%. iPhone sales decreased by 10%, indicating weak demand for the current generation iPhone released in September last year. Sales were in line with analysts’ expectations.
Earlier this month, Apple’s revenue in Greater China exceeded analysts’ expectations, surprising investors. The company’s net profit was $16.4 billion, lower than the $17.8 billion in the same period last year.