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And do what? Petition the Chinese government to reverse the ban of them being used in "multiple government agencies and state companies"? Fight against the rising nationalism in China (and in many countries)? Open iOS up more to state control in China? Do something about the deflation and other economic issues facing China? Do something about the IP-related legal challenges in China that often benefit local companies at the expense of foreign companies?

What else can Apple's "sleepy boardroom" do? What are your ideas for actionable and realistic steps Apple can do to fix declining sales in China?
Yeah, that would be a start ;-)
 
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Here's some updated pricing information for iPhones in China, including all taxes:

  • iPhone 15: 128GB for $625, 256GB for $735
  • iPhone 15 Pro: 128GB for $885, 256GB for $1000
  • iPhone 15 Pro Max: 256GB for $1100
Comparing these prices with competitors like Xiaomi 14 Ultra and Huawei Mate 60 Pro, it's clear that Apple might not offer the most competitive product.

As for me, I currently use an iPhone 14 Pro 256GB and an iPhone 12 Mini 256GB, and I don't plan on upgrading this year.
 
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Hmm, wonder why? and it's gonna get worse too. If they don't have jobs=no money, and if the banks don't give it out, you can't buy anything.
 
So glad to see MacRumors users being ignorant about China once again.

This has little to do with government policies. Fact: For 500 USD after taxes, you can buy a phone with Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 (arguably more powerful than A17), 16 GB of Memory, 512 GB of Storage. An iPhone that is on par in terms of performance is twice the price. More than 1 Billion people in China earn less than the price of a basic iPhone 15 for their monthly income. When China's economy slows down, it is little wonder people stop buying luxury goods.

Sure, iPhones have better overall experience, but does that justify the 2x price tag?
 
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Nothing unusual here its the way of business with China. Products go to China, China deconstructs and a Chinese product takes the market. Same with virtually all devices including EV's. Happened with DVD recorders and so ad infinitum.
 
Make better product that can compete globally instead of just competing with the also-sleepy Samsung products in the US. These two have gotten so comfortable with their duopoly iPhone didn’t change since iPhone 12 galaxy didn’t change since S21
I know you are a different commenter, but nothing you wrote are "actionable and realistic steps" to counteract sales in China. "Make better product" is vague. What specifically needs to be better? What specific features would Chinese and buyers worldwide be interested in that would make Apple's sales increase?
 
Not OP but I'll take a crack at it:

  • Admit there's a problem with the current roadmap of iPhone updates where one new feature gets introduced per year and then trickles down to the rest of the lineup over years. Putting the 5X zoom only into the Pro Max and then into the Pro this year is borderline cynical.
  • Acknowledge that competition is now real in one of your biggest markets. Even if American and European consumers aren't punishing you for dull year-over-year iPhone releases, Chinese ones now clearly are. A 120Hz refresh rate is practically the industry standard now; eliminate "ProMotion" and make that the refresh rate across the iPhone line (you can exempt the SE if you really want to). This also extends to definitely cynical moves like keeping storage amounts low to entice people to pay even more or to sign up for iCloud.
That's all I've got but at least it's something. I think OP's invocation of "boardroom" probably meant fire Tim Cook, and I think that's a bit much. I just think Apple needs to get hungry again. I feel this company uses platform lock-in to ease up on innovation, and now it needs to realize it's not going to be able to get away with that anymore if it cares about the Chinese market.
I appreciate you providing specific answers. Too many commenters criticize without offering solutions. It's easy to complain but harder to fix.
 
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Or perhaps the market expectation of a new product line every 12 months is the problem?

Of course it means there are only incremental changes year on year.
And more people, in a mature market, find their phones still work well enough for a two or three year upgrade cycle.

Rampant consumerism pushed all manufacturers to deliver something shiny and new and wonderful every 12 months.

After 15 iterations of the smart phone model, and massive advances in that time to hardware and software, it just can't continue forever. Apple has done what every other company does in saturated marketplace: divide features and function and designs into different price points. We are a long way from a one phone 3.5" screen in one colour meeting market needs.

The biggest competitor to a new phone is the one you and billions of other people already hold in your hand.

With Cost of Living, inflation, multiple warfronts and rising interest rates it was the perfect storm for people to hold onto their old phones. Tell someone in a country with 112% inflation they need a new phone. Tell someone with triple energy bills they should upgrade.
 
Of course. What is up for debate is what constitutes “valid”.

When EVERY criticism, no matter how small, becomes the focus of these specific members squealing “hate!” and “go away!” and “bully!” it’s pointless to quibble over degrees. These guys create just as much problematic content as they constantly whine about.
 
let's face it, the Chinese government would be very happy to not have iPhones there at all.

and they cripple what they can use.

sales will probably continue to drop. All Apple can do is reduce reliance on Chinese labour and assembly and move their business to a more friendly business country.
But...where? Can you name one country with the same cheap labor and manufacture lines, and with the same friendly, stable, convenient business environment? With lots of competitive local android brands (needless to say about Huawei), China couldn't be more friendly to Apple. It is the only kind of country with the ability to efficiently build high-speed railways in such a short time, and the same efficiency apply to building manufacture lines that meet Apple's high standards. China and Apple are in a relationship of cooperation, not mutual love.
 
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These news are music to my ears. I really hope that they will continue loosing ground in the biggest worldwide market. Their ecosystem and stability nowadays is not enough….. android premium offerings have become stable, reliable and user friendly too. No reason to pay the Apple tax….. other ecosystems work just fine too. The last 3 years i ve lost even my slight interest on watching their events live…..specs don’t matter anymore too. Apple has become a cash grab brand. Boring and unexciting.
Spot on comment.
The ecosystem is riddled by a plethora of issues, bugs and glitches. People start noticing finally.

There is not a single day where I don’t come across some sort of issue. HomePod can’t add reminders because my phone is not on the network (it is!), emails not loading, attachments not downloading, macOS can’t switch between user accounts, Siri saying it is not connected to the internet but it is playing music in streaming, HomeKit devices not responding, iPhone lagging, iCloud not syncing, macOS not able to activate Siri, continuity not working, personal hotspot can’t be found, I could go on for two days.

Music for my ears as well!!
 
Apple's iPhone shipments in China dropped by 33% in February compared to the same month last year, according to governement figures (via Bloomberg).

...lots of other stuff ... then...

The overall Chinese smartphone market contracted by almost a third in February, according to research firm Canalys. Analysts still predict growth over the course of the year, but expect iPhone 15 sales to keep falling while local rivals continue to aggressively promote AI features in device marketing. CEO Tim Cook visited China earlier this month to Apple's newest store in Shanghai and attend the China Development Forum in Beijing, where he said the country was "critical" to Apple.
So overall Chiness smartphone sales dropped by about 33% in February, and Apple was just another one of the vendors in this overall drop?
 
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When EVERY criticism, no matter how small, becomes the focus of these specific members squealing “hate!” and “go away!” and “bully!” it’s pointless to quibble over degrees. These guys create just as much problematic content as they constantly whine about.
Hence to your point not every “criticism “ is a “valid” one.
 
Good for them. If the American consumer stops buying the 8GB MacBooks, Apple will be forced to sell with 16GB or not charge $200 for an extra 8GB of RAM.
 
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There is not a single day where I don’t come across some sort of issue.

Every single day I ask Siri: "Siri, what's the temperature outside"

This morning .. "something went wrong, please try again in a bit (paraphrasing..can't recall exact words)"

Tried 3 more times over 20 mins, never worked

A few hours later it worked again.. "fun"
 
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