Apple Boss Praises China Amid Sluggish iPhone Sales

Morrissey Technology – Apple CEO Tim Cook is on a short tour of China on the occasion of the opening of the new Apple Store in Shanghai. During this trip, Cook met and praised a number of Apple suppliers

According to Chinese media reports, Cook held an information sharing session with three Apple suppliers BYD, Lens Technology and Everwin Precision Technology — at Apple’s office located in Shanghai.

“There is no supply chain in the world more important to Apple than China,” Cook told reporters in China.

Cook also met with Wang Chuanfu, founder and chairman of Chinese electric car giant BYD, during the session, according to a video posted on Cook’s Weibo account. The bespectacled man enthusiastically praised suppliers in China for having the most advanced manufacturing in the world.

According to his Weibo post, Cook also visited a film production studio, discussed with mobile game developers, and took photos with visitors and staff at Apple’s new store in Shanghai’s Jing’an district.

Cook has visited China three times this year. This visit was carried out amidst sluggish iPhone sales in the Bamboo Curtain country since early 2024. According to a Counterpoint Research report, throughout the first six weeks of 2024 iPhone sales fell 24% compared to the previous year. On the other hand, Huawei cellphone sales skyrocketed by 64%.

Apple and Cook continue to emphasize China’s important role for their companies. Not long ago, Apple announced that it would expand its research center in Shanghai to support all of its product lines, and revealed plans to open a new research laboratory in Shenzhen.

If you look at the opening of the Apple Store in Jing’an a few days ago, it seems that Apple’s charm in China has not faded. According to reports by a number of Chinese media, there were hundreds of Apple fanboys who queued overnight to be the first to visit the store or look for the opportunity to take a photo with Cook.

The Apple Store in Jing’an is the largest Apple store in China. This new store worth USD 11.6 million is the second largest store after Apple’s flagship store on Fifth Avenue FOR4D, New York. Now Apple has eight stores in Shanghai, China’s financial center. Currently there are 47 Apple Stores, the largest of which are in 24 cities in mainland China.