Recently, Apple launched a new iPad Pro equipped with M4 chips at its spring launch event, marking Apple's technological breakthrough in the field of AI. It is reported that the M4 chip adopts advanced 3-nanometer technology and has a powerful neural network engine, with a processing speed of up to 38 trillion times per second, greatly improving the processing ability of AI tasks. At the same time, Apple's AI strategy is rapidly advancing, and AI technology may be more widely applied to its product line in the future.
The pre-sale of Apple's new product will begin at 9am on May 9th, and the official release date is set for May 15th. Analysts close to the market point out that companies on the entire Apple industry chain may benefit from it. According to public information, in China, Aishide (002416) is an agent for Apple's multiple product lines, including iPads, iPhones, iWatches, computers, headphones, and more. On the one hand, Aishide is the distributor with the most authorized Apple stores in China, with a total of over 3000 operated and serviced stores; On the other hand, Aishide's subsidiary Kudong Digital is the largest self operated APR store in Apple's retail system, achieving a 20% leap in store numbers last year. According to relevant securities firms, Apple has a relatively loyal customer base, and it has been over 18 months since Apple last updated its iPad series products. Therefore, it is estimated that the release of new iPad products is expected to drive shipment growth.
The market research report points out that with the development and maturity of end-to-end models and hardware, it is expected that the variety of AI smartphones will increase, and market penetration rate will also increase. According to IDC's forecast, the global shipment of next-generation AI smartphones will reach 170 million units in 2024, accounting for nearly 15% of the total smartphone shipment and an increase of approximately 233% compared to 2023. Counterpoint Research predicts that by 2027, the shipment of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) smartphones will reach 522 million units, with a three-year compound annual growth rate of approximately 73%.
The March report released by the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology showed that the shipment volume of foreign brand smartphones increased to 3.75 million units year-on-year, with the vast majority being Apple products. Aishide stated that the company's layout and advantages in Apple's product sales and services are gradually emerging, and it is expected to gain significant benefits from the release of Apple's new iPad and the launch of AI terminals.
According to Aishide's 2023 annual report, the company's annual revenue reached 92.16 billion yuan, with a compound growth rate of 13% in the past three years. The operating revenue of digital smart retail business was 32.951 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 8.48%; The net operating cash flow was 3.643 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 576.83%.
At the same time as the performance announcement, Aishide also released its latest dividend plan: the company plans to distribute a cash dividend of 4 yuan (including tax) for every 10 shares to all shareholders in 2023, with an estimated total cash dividend of about 496 million yuan. After the shareholder meeting on May 21st approved the implementation of the dividend plan, Aishide will achieve 8 consecutive years of dividends, and the cumulative cash dividend amount since its listing will exceed 3 billion yuan.