On October 31st, Apple held its fastest ever press conference. In just 30 minutes, three chips, M3, M3 Pro, and M3 Max, were released. In addition, Apple has also launched new products such as MacBook Pro and iMac.
According to the official website, the high-performance and energy-efficient core of the M3 series chip CPU is 30% and 50% faster than the corresponding core in the M1 series chip, respectively, and the neural network engine is also 60% faster than the M1 series chip.
Apple's Senior Vice President of Hardware Technology, Johny Srouji, stated, "The M3, M3 Pro, and M3 Max chips use a 3-nanometer process, equipped with a next-generation graphics processor architecture, a high-performance central processing unit, a faster neural network engine, and support for larger unified memory, creating an advanced lineup of personal computer chips
In terms of price, the new 14-inch MacBook Pro equipped with M3 chips is priced at 12999 yuan, while the iMac equipped with an 8-core graphics processor starts at 10999 yuan. In addition, market news suggests that due to the increase in the cost of the new telephoto lens, the iPhone 16 Pro may further increase its price, and this topic also hit the hot search on October 31st.
This news has also sparked heated discussions among consumers. At the same time as Apple launches its new product, the iPhone 15 series, which has been released for just over a month, is undergoing significant price reductions. Recently, many consumers have found that Apple flagship stores on platforms such as Tmall and JD.com have launched promotional activities for the iPhone 15 series, which has been released for over a month.
According to a query by First Financial, official Apple flagship stores on various platforms have launched discounts. Among them, JD.com launched an activity called "iPhone 15 Series Coupons to Gao Li Reduce 801 yuan". First Financial Consulting found that the original price of iPhone 15 256G, which was 6999 yuan, was sold for 6198 yuan after a discount of 801 yuan, while the original price of iPhone 15 Pro 256G, which was 8999 yuan, was sold for 8399 yuan after a discount of 600 yuan.
Tmall's Apple flagship store also combines promotional activities with the Double 11 promotion. According to the official flagship store of Tmall's Apple Store, after 8pm on October 31st, consumers can use the "5688+minus 700" Apple surprise coupon for shopping. The price of the iPhone 15 256G coupon is 6299 yuan, and the price of the iPhone 15 Pro 256G coupon is 8499 yuan.
On Pinduoduo, the current price for iPhone 15 256G is 5998 yuan, while the price for iPhone 15 Pro 256G is 8298 yuan. At present, the iPhone 15 series on Apple's official website is still at its original price.
This price reduction may have had signs for a long time. On October 23rd, the topic of "iPhone 15 series prices plummeting" hit Weibo's hot search. At that time, many users found that the iPhone 15 series through third-party sales channels was reducing prices, with some high-end products even dropping prices by more than 1500 yuan. However, at that time, the official channels had not yet lowered prices.
Consumers have expressed different attitudes towards the price reduction of the iPhone 15 series. Some consumers have expressed that "there is no need to replace it if the changes are not significant, and my 14pro max needs to be replaced. If many of the charging cables at home need to be replaced, the current updates are not enough to support me to bear the trouble of replacing a new device." There are also consumers who have already purchased iPhone 15 who regret buying it too early. In addition, many consumers expressed a greater focus on other brands.
According to recent data released by IDC, the shipment volume of China's smartphone market in the third quarter of 2023 was approximately 67.05 million units, a year-on-year decrease of 6.3%. In terms of manufacturer market share, Apple ranked third with a market share of 16% in the third quarter of 2023, and its shipment volume decreased by 4% year-on-year.
In addition, data previously released by market research company Counterpoint Research showed that the sales of the iPhone 15 series within 17 days of its debut in China decreased by 4.5% compared to the iPhone 14 series released in 2022.
In terms of stock price performance, as of the close of the US stock market on October 30th, Apple's stock price rose 1.23% to $170.29, and fell 0.29% after hours. Apple will release its financial report on November 2nd, with Wall Street analysts monitoring the international sales of Apple's new and existing iPhones.