Apple's iPhone sales rebound sharply in April with a 50% increase
iPhones and other products at the Apple Store which opened in March in Shanghai, the biggest in China.
Apple's iPhone sales rebounded sharply in China in April, surging over 50 percent year on year. Industry officials attributed the growth to marketing campaigns and discounts following a decline in the first quarter.
Phone sales jumped 28.8 percent last month to hit 24.1 million units. Among them 3.5 million were overseas brands, said the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology, a government-authorized research organization.
In the domestic market, the iPhone dominates among overseas brands. Sales of iPhones in China were about 3.5 million units, 52 percent growth compared with a year ago, according to media reports.
Apple surprised the market in April with price cuts and discounts ahead of China's annual 618 shopping spree.
This month saw some iPhone models reduced by up to 2,300 yuan (US$319) in Apple's online store, a reduction said to be the largest in Apple China's history.
Apple holds its annual Worldwide Developers Conference on June 11.
People seem to have regained interest in Apple and high-end phones with the majority of Chinese consumers willing to pay over 4,000 yuan for a new smartphone, according to a recent market survey.
Apple announced on Wednesday that its annual Worldwide Developers Conference will be held on June 11, when more AI upgrades for the iPhone and other products are expected.
In the first quarter, a drop in Apple sales in China suggested that some buyers no longer see Apple's flagship products as the most technologically sophisticated, especially lacking in AI innovations compared with other brands, industry officials said.
According to research, Huawei recovered its market share in the Chinese smartphone market with domestic sales rebounding in the first quarter. Apple faced fierce competition with domestic brands like Honor, Oppo and Vivo.
