iPhone shipments in China reportedly had a rough time in November. According to Credit Suisse analyst Matt Cabral, iPhone shipments declined “meaningfully” last month — to the tune of approximately 35.4% year-on-year.
If true, that’s lagging far behind the rest of the Chinese smartphone market, which increased 0.2% year-on-year.
Cabral says that monthly data can be volatile. However, this is the second straight double digit decline in monthly iPhone shipments in China. The previous month, October, iPhone shipments declined by 10.3% year-on-year.
Overall, total iPhone shipments in China since the launch of the iPhone 11 are down 7.4%.
iPhone shipments in China: Conflicting reports?
This report is interesting because it contradicts some other recent reports. Declining iPhone sales in China are no secret. Overall, iPhone sales in China dropped 13 percent in 2018. Lower-than-expected sales for the iPhone XR and XS caused Apple to previously cut Apple forecasts.
However, other reports have suggested that the newer iPhones are striking a chord with customers in China. Recently, the iPhone 11 Pro and Pro Max were two of the top-selling products on Singles Day, the Alibaba version of Amazon’s Prime Day. Meanwhile, a report citing government data claimed that Apple shipped 6% more iPhones in September and October than it did the previous year.
“Chinese customers seem to be receiving the iPhone 11 series better than last year’s models because of the lowered retail price,” Nicole Peng, a Canalys analyst, recently told Bloomberg. “We see weaker shipments for old models but the latest products are going strong.”
There’s the possibility that all of these figures can be correct. Apple may have had an amazing September, followed by a dismal October. And a poor November, with the exception of Singles Day. But it doesn’t quite add up to a convincing bigger picture.
I think we’ll have to wait until some more figures are released before this story makes a bit more sense.
Are you based in China? What have been your impressions of recent iPhone popularity? Let us know in the comments below.
Source: Street Insider
