iPhone sales in China continue to decline for the third month in a row

iPhone sales in China continued to decline for the third month in a row, according to official figures issued by a Chinese government institution.

According to a report issued by the Chinese Academy of Information and Communications Technology, foreign brands shipped about 2.4 million smartphones during the month of February, and Apple is the only foreign seller with a large share in the Chinese market, and iPhones constitute the vast majority of those shipments..

iPhone shipments declined by 33% during the month of February compared to the same month in 2023, and this comes as a continuation of the decline in the months of January and December, as the percentage of decline reached 39% and 30%, respectively..

The American company faces a difficult challenge in reducing the decline in iPhone sales in China, as its sales decreased by 24% on an annual basis in 2023, and this decline is expected to increase during the current year 2024..

Chinese stores are currently relying increasingly on discounts in order to sell iPhone 15 phones in stock, and Apple itself reduced the prices of iPhone 15 phones earlier this year in a rare incident..

Apple faces some challenges in order to limit the decline in sales of iPhone phones in the Chinese market, including the economic recession and competition with local companies, in addition to China’s decision to ban the use of iPhone phones in many government institutions in the fields of power generation, building seaports, mining, manufacturing, education, and investment. And others.

Analysts still expect growth throughout the year for the smartphone market, which is currently witnessing a contraction in China, but they also expect iPhone 15 sales to continue to decline compared to competing products as they rely on the advantages of artificial intelligence..

Apple CEO Tim Cook visited China earlier this month to open a new store in Shanghai and attend the China Development Forum in Beijing.

(ait news)