According to data released by the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology (CAICT), a research company under the Chinese government, on Wednesday (September 25), the sales of foreign brand smartphones, including Apple’s iPhone, in China decreased by 12.7% year-on-year in August.
CAICT’s calculations show that in August this year, the sales of foreign brand smartphones in China dropped from 2.142 million units in the same period last year to 1.87 million units.
The data from the research institute also indicates that the overall mobile phone sales in China increased by 26.7% year-on-year in August, reaching 24.05 million units.
Factors such as the crackdown by the Chinese government and competition from domestic smartphones have led to a decline in the shipments of foreign brand smartphones like the iPhone in the Chinese market.
In September last year, US media reported, citing sources, that the Chinese government extended the ban on the use of iPhones to government-supported institutions and state-owned enterprises, with some Chinese institutions instructing employees not to bring iPhones to work. In December last year, informants revealed to overseas media that in the past one or two months, many government departments and Chinese state-owned enterprises in at least eight provinces had instructed employees to start using domestic brand phones.
On July 25, market research firm Canalys released data showing that in the second quarter of 2024, iPhone shipments in mainland China dropped by 6.7%, further illustrating the challenges faced by Apple in China.
According to Canalys, as of the second quarter ending in June, the total shipment of Apple iPhones in China was 9.7 million units, lower than the 10.4 million units in the same period last year. Apple’s market share was 14%, a 2% decrease from the second quarter of last year, ranking sixth. Meanwhile, domestic suppliers’ phone shipments accounted for the top five in the second quarter.
On April 13, data released by the research firm Counterpoint showed that Apple’s smartphone shipments in China in the first quarter of this year decreased by 19%, marking the worst performance since 2020.