Apple launches aggressive discount campaign on Tmall in China

Apple is running a big sale on its official Tmall site in China, slashing prices by up to $318 on certain iPhone models.

This move is aimed at keeping Apple competitive in the high-end smartphone market, particularly against local competitors like Huawei.

The sale runs from May 20 to May 28 and offers bigger discounts compared to Apple's previous sale in February.

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Back then, the highest discount was $159, but this time it's a whopping $318. The biggest price cut is for the 1TB iPhone 15 Pro Max, but other models also have significant discounts.

For example, the 128GB version of the base iPhone 15 model is now $193.48 cheaper, as per Reuters' checks on Monday.

The increased competition from Huawei's new Pura 70 series, launched after the Mate 60 series, has pushed Apple to get more aggressive with pricing to protect its market share.

Apple's February sales had a positive impact, as it helped offset a sales slowdown.

Reuters' analysis of data from the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology (CAICT) shows that Apple's shipments in China surged by 12 per cent in March, a significant rebound from a 37 per cent decline in sales during the first two months of 2024.

By offering these big discounts, Apple hopes to attract more customers and boost its sales in the tough Chinese market.

It'll be interesting to see how this strategy plays out as Apple deals with competition from both local and global rivals.

(With inputs from Reuters)