By Roger Fingas Friday, February 01, 2019, 02:15 pm PT (05:15 pm ET) Apple is already lowering iPhone prices in China and seeing some return on the tactic, at least according to two online retailers. Suning saw sales of Apple products rise 83 percent between Jan. 11 — when it instituted iPhone price cuts — and Jan. 30, local publication Feng.com reports. The iPhone 8 and XR were said to be the most popular models. Tmall slashed prices on Jan. 13 and by Jan. 29 reported a 76 percent surge. During a quarterly results call earlier this week, Apple CEO Tim Cook promised the company would lower iPhone costs in some overseas markets. These were previously hiked in response to exchange rates, but the effect contributed to a year-over-year decline in December-quarter iPhone sales from $61 billion to just $52 billion. China was the hardest hit, its regional revenues falling 26.7 percent to $13.17 billion. The iPhone in particular has taken a beating in the Chinese smartphone … [Read more...] about Chinese iPhone sales up following price cuts on local shopping sites
Iphone price cut
Apple’s iPhone price cuts in China are now being passed on to consumers
Earlier this week, a new report revealed that Apple had cut iPhone 8, iPhone XR, and iPhone XS pricing for third-party retailers in China. And now, just as expected, these reductions are being passed on to consumers (via 9To5Mac).Starting today, newer iPhone models cost between 15% and 22% less if purchased through retailers JD.com or Suning. Presumably, this move has been made in coordination with Apple’s new pricing strategy. But if the price fails to boost sales, the Cupertino giant may be forced to push down prices even further in the future.The biggest discount of all has been applied to the iPhone 8. This smartphone now costs just 3999 yuan (around $590) at JD.com, a 21.5% reduction over its usual retail price of 5099 yuan (around $750). Alongside this, the newer iPhone XR has also seen a pretty hefty price cut of almost 17% from 6499 yuan (around $960) to 5399 yuan (around $800).Ultimately, only time will tell if these price cuts are sufficient to boost Apple’s sales … [Read more...] about Apple’s iPhone price cuts in China are now being passed on to consumers
Apple’s Chinese iPhone price cut is unprecedented
You've probably already heard the news: Apple has revised its quarterly forecast, cutting expected revenue by $9 billion and blaming slower sales in China as the main reason. The move was unprecedented in recent history, as Apple has always managed to forecast the market correctly, but not this time.And strange times call for even more unprecedented measures: for the first time ever since Apple the original iPhone of more than 10 years ago, Apple has now cut the prices on all of its latest iPhones, and this happens just a couple of months after the official launch in China.This is importantThe price cut is not huge, but not insignificant either: Apple has lowered wholesale prices by as much as 450 Chinese yuan, or the equivalent of around $60 US dollars. Interestingly, the biggest price cut is for the iPhone XR, the company's most popular and important phone, the workhorse for Apple's revenues this year.This is important and here is why.What does Apple's iPhone price cut actually … [Read more...] about Apple’s Chinese iPhone price cut is unprecedented
Apple reportedly negotiating OLED panel price cut with Samsung
Apple is reportedly seeking a price cut from Samsung on the price of OLED panels. Apple’s first device to sport an OLED display, the iPhone X, has so far seen much weaker demand than initially anticipated, which has forced Apple to cut orders by up to 50%. One of the main reasons behind this, unsurprisingly, is reportedly the high price of the smartphone.Now, despite recent reports that claimed Apple’s next flagship devices would be even more expensive than the company’s current iPhone X, Apple appears to be negotiating a near-10% price cut with Samsung in the hope of cutting costs which, ultimately, should allow the company to bring down prices slightly and improve demand. After all, OLED panels equate to nearly a third of the total iPhone X production costs, and, if successful with negotiations, Apple will have guaranteed itself a $10 price cut per panel down to a new $100 price tag. This new deal could also prove beneficial to Samsung due to the fact that Apple is … [Read more...] about Apple reportedly negotiating OLED panel price cut with Samsung
Forget HomePod Mini rumors. Apple just needs a HomePod price cut
Remember the HomePod, Apple's first smart speaker? Back in the middle of the winter, it was the talk of the tech world. Fueled by a jolt of old-fashioned Apple hype, the HomePod was about to hit the retail channel, more than six months after first being announced at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference in June. But these days, two months after its February debut, the product Apple is billing as "The new sound of home" is hitting more lows than highs.According to a Bloomberg report, citing data from Slice Intelligence, a market research firm that tracks e-commerce sales, the HomePod's sales have slowed considerably since it launched.Slice -- as cited by Bloomberg -- says that during its first 10 weeks of sales, the HomePod carved out 10 percent of the smart speaker market. Amazon's Echo devices were at 73 percent and Google Home products accounted for 14 percent during that time frame. By three weeks after its launch, HomePod's market share dipped to about 4 percent on average … [Read more...] about Forget HomePod Mini rumors. Apple just needs a HomePod price cut