On January 15th, the official website of Apple China announced that a limited time discount for the Chinese New Year will be launched from January 18th to 21st. Customers can purchase Apple designated products through eligible payment methods, with a maximum of 800 RMB per province.
According to an event on Apple's official website, purchasing iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, or iPhone 13 through eligible payment methods can save up to RMB 500 *. Purchase a 13 inch or 15 inch MacBook Air (M2 chip model) or a 13 inch MacBook Air (M1 chip model) using a payment method that meets the conditions, and save up to RMB 800 *.
Purchase an iPad Pro, iPad Air, iPad (10th generation), or iPad mini using a payment method that meets the conditions, and can save up to RMB 400 *; Apple Watch SE, can save RMB 200 *; AirPods can save up to RMB 100 *. Apple specifically stated that the number of products available for this promotional event in the Apple Store retail store is limited and will only be available once sold out.
It is worth noting that from the current preferential policies of major domestic e-commerce platforms, many platforms even offer discounts greater than Apple's official activities. Pinduoduo offers a discount of up to 1771 yuan on the iPhone 15 Pro Max model, while other models also offer significant subsidies and discounts.
Behind Apple's official promotion, its sales in China have declined. Previously, analysts at Wall Street investment bank Jefferies reported in a report that Apple's iPhone sales in China decreased by 30% in the first week of 2024.
The report points out that although the new models of Apple's iPhone 15 series have lowered prices on multiple e-commerce platforms, their sales are still significantly declining. Among them, on the Pinduoduo platform, this series of price reductions can reach up to 16%. Jefferies analysts believe that in the Chinese market, Apple's year-on-year decline in 2023 was 3%, which is equivalent to a 0.4% decrease in Apple's market share.
In addition, since 2024, Apple has frequently received short selling warnings from investment institutions. On January 10th local time, James Cordwell, an analyst at Redburn Atlantic, downgraded Apple's rating from buy to neutral, stating that the iPhone will resume growth in 2024, but there is little room for improvement in the coming years, and it is expected that poor performance in the first quarter of this year may affect investor confidence in its prospects.
Recently, Apple's stock price has continued to decline. As of the latest closing, the cumulative decline in Apple's stock price for the year 2024 was 3.43%, with a total market value evaporation of $102.2 billion (approximately RMB 730 billion). During the same period, the Nasdaq fell by 0.26%.
Recently, Apple's VR headset device Vision Pro has attracted attention. Guo Minggui, an analyst at Tianfeng International, posted that Apple's Vision Pro has only 60000 to 80000 units in stock. Considering the novelty of the product and the loyalty of Apple fans, he believes that the Vision Pro can easily sell out once it goes on sale. However, Guo Minggui also stated that Vision Pro only showcased the technology last year, but did not specify more important product positioning and key applications. If Vision Pro cannot be sold out instantly, it will be lower than expected, affecting Apple and the stock price of the industry chain.