Apple's strange move in China

Apple expands social media presence in China. Photo: Bloomberg .

Apple has just opened an official account on RedNote, a social network known as the “Instagram of China”, ahead of the launch of the iPhone 17. Just one day after its first post on August 16, the account has attracted more than 200,000 followers. The post is accompanied by an animated video with the Apple logo, calling on users to share their stories with the company, but does not mention the new product.

This is the next step in Apple's strategy to expand its presence in China, an important but highly competitive market. Previously, the iPhone maker had accounts on WeChat, Douyin and Weibo, where CEO Tim Cook has maintained a personal page since 2015 with more than 1.8 million followers.

Cook posted on Weibo over the weekend inviting customers to the new Apple Uniwalk Qianhai store in Shenzhen. The opening comes just days after the company closed its Dalian branch, marking the first time Apple has voluntarily closed a store in mainland China.

RedNote is gaining global attention, especially after American users downloaded the app as a protest against the TikTok ban. The platform is popular with young, tech-savvy customers, a user base Apple wants to reach deeper in China.

The US tech giant is now facing a major challenge as the Chinese government has rolled out a 15% subsidy policy for devices under 6,000 yuan ( $834 ), but most iPhones are not eligible for the policy. In May, Apple had to slash prices on e-commerce platforms to make some models like the iPhone 16 Pro eligible for support.

In the fiscal quarter ending June 28, Apple's revenue from Greater China (including Hong Kong and Taiwan) increased 4.4% year-on-year, benefiting from the stimulus policy. However, according to Counterpoint expert Ivan Lam, iPhone sales may decline in the second half of this year due to weak demand, the iPhone 16 cycle is reaching the end of its life cycle, and the iPhone 17 is not attractive enough to drive a new wave of upgrades.

Source: https://znews.vn/dong-thai-la-cua-apple-tai-trung-quoc-post1578123.html