Apple (AAPL.US) has announced significant price cuts and promotions, making competition even more intense.
According to Zhitong Finance, Apple's (AAPL.US) China website has announced that from January 4 to 7, users who purchase designated products with qualified payment methods can enjoy a maximum discount of RMB800. The flagship iPhone 16 Pro, priced at RMB7999, and the iPhone 16 Pro Max, priced at RMB9999, will receive a maximum discount of RMB500. The iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus will be discounted by RMB400.
Apple is facing challenges in China, the world's largest smartphone market, as local manufacturers have increased competition. Huawei, which returned to the high-end market in August 2023 with its homegrown chipsets, has become a particularly strong competitor. Huawei had previously reduced the prices of various high-end devices, including smartphones, by up to RMB3,000 in China.
Apple briefly fell out of the top five smartphone suppliers in China in the second quarter of 2024 before rebounding in the third quarter. Apple's promotional activities also include other categories of products such as old iPhones and iPad tablets, offering discounts ranging from RMB200 to RMB300. The discounts in this promotion are the largest for Mac products, with RMB600 off the 13-inch MacBook Air (M2) and RMB800 off the 15-inch MacBook Air (M3).
Apple said that the number of products available for the promotion in Apple Store retail stores is limited (iPhone products are 29,300 units, iPad products are 3,500 units, Mac notebook products are 530 units, Apple Watch products are 8,350 units, AirPods products are 2,590 units, and Apple Pencil products are 940 units), and they will be sold out when they are sold out.
Each user can purchase a maximum of 2 units per product category for this promotional activity, and there are additional discounts for exchanging new iPhones. Consumers must use designated payment methods such as WeChat Pay or Alipay to enjoy discounts.
Regarding whether the price on the official website can be refunded, Apple's official customer service said, "If the product purchased within 14 days before the activity can be returned and repurchased, which can also be understood as a refund for the difference."