Recent institutional data reveals that the advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system Apple Intelligence, which Apple had high hopes for, is missing, and during this year's &#34;Double 11&#34; shopping festival, the iPhone failed to impress Chinese consumers.
Securities Times cited a report released this week by market research firm Counterpoint Research, stating that during this year's &#34;Double 11&#34; shopping festival, Apple's iPhone sales in China saw a double-digit year-on-year decline, primarily due to several competitors launching new models ahead of &#34;Double 11.&#34;
The Counterpoint report pointed out that the early launch of flagship models had a certain impact on the sales of older models. During the &#34;Double 11&#34; period in weeks 44 to 45 of 2024, major domestic original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) in China, except for Huawei, launched their latest flagship products before &#34;Double 11.&#34; Last year, only Xiaomi had launched a flagship phone ahead of &#34;Double 11.&#34;
In other words, Chinese smartphone manufacturers such as Honor, iQOO, OPPO, OnePlus, vivo, and Xiaomi launched multiple flagship models in October, coinciding with the release of Apple's iPhone 16 series in September, further intensifying competition in the high-end smartphone market and impacting Apple's position in the high-end market to some extent.
The report did not disclose the specific percentage decline in iPhone sales during &#34;Double 11,&#34; only stating that the sales decline was due to an unusually high number of flagship phone models launched by Apple's competitors before and during the shopping festival, putting pressure on Apple. At the same time, the report noted that Apple's two high-end models, the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max, remained among the best-selling models during &#34;Double 11.&#34;
In contrast, Apple's main competitor in China, Huawei, performed the best during this year's &#34;Double 11.&#34; The report stated that through price promotions on the Pura 70 and Mate 60 series, Huawei's phone sales during &#34;Double 11&#34; achieved a 7% year-on-year growth. Moreover, this was a good performance for Huawei amid an overall decline in the smartphone market. The report showed that overall smartphone sales in China during this year's &#34;Double 11&#34; declined by 9% year-on-year.
If the statistical data in the report is accurate, it seems that Apple's promotional strategy in China has also failed to yield results. During this year's &#34;Double 11,&#34; Apple's official online flagship store unusually offered discounts, covering the entire iPhone 16 series, marking the first price reduction through official channels since the new models were released just a month ago. The Apple Store official flagship store announced Tmall &#34;Double 11&#34; discounts on October 20, with the iPhone 16 series available for purchase on the evening of October 21, offering discounts of up to 1,600 yuan.
Canalys analyst Zhou Lexuan previously stated that the lack of AI services, reduced consumer spending, and intensified competition are all challenges Apple faces in the domestic market.
Wall Street Journal previously mentioned that Apple is facing increasing competitive pressure in China, with the latest iPhone 16 series and Huawei's first foldable phone, the Mate Xt, both going on sale on September 20, highlighting the intensity of the competition. Richard Yu, chairman of Huawei's terminal BG, also posted on Weibo earlier this month, previewing the arrival of the &#34;most powerful&#34; Mate phone in history this month
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The iPhone 16 is the first series to support Apple Intelligence, and the new AI features endowed by this AI system are the main highlights of the iPhone 16, which are expected to boost sales. However, Apple only began rolling out the first batch of Apple Intelligence features to iPhone users at the end of last month, and it is only available in the United States.
During his visit to China last month, Apple CEO Tim Cook did not specify when the new AI features would be launched in China. Cook stated that Apple is working hard to complete the specific regulatory processes and hopes to bring Apple Intelligence to Chinese consumers as soon as possible

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Counterpoint's report states that the decline in Apple's sales is due to the fact that, apart from Huawei, Apple's main competitors in China launched flagship phones before this year's "Double 11." Huawei's sales during "Double 11" increased by 7% year-on-year, showing the most impressive performance

- During this year's "Double 11" shopping festival, Apple's iPhone sales in China saw a double-digit decline compared to last year, attributed to competitors launching new flagship models ahead of the event.  
- Huawei outperformed with a 7% sales increase, leveraging promotions on its Pura 70 and Mate 60 series, while the overall smartphone market in China declined by 9%.  
- Apple's promotional strategies, including rare price cuts on the iPhone 16 series, did not yield the expected results, as the company faces intensified competition and challenges in the domestic market.

The "pain" of lacking AI? This year's "Double 11" iPhone sales reportedly declined by double digits