Apple chief design officer Jony Ive (L) and Apple CEO Tim Cook inspect the new iPhone X R during an Apple special event at the Steve Jobs Theatre on September 12, 2018 in Cupertino, California. Apple released three new versions of the iPhone and an update Apple Watch.
Apple CEO Tim Cook makes a surprising visit to China after reports revealed sluggish initial iPhone 15 sales in the Asian market.
Based on his official Weibo post, he arrived in China on Monday, Oct. 16. Now, the question is, how will his surprise trip improve the sales of the latest iPhone 15 lineup?
Apple CEO Tim Cook Makes Surprise Visit in China
On Oct. 16, Tim Cook posted an image on his Weibo account. This photo shows the historic Ashun Bridge located in Chengdu; the capital city of Sichuan province.
"This stunning image of the historic Anshun bridge is captured on iPhone 15 Pro Max," said Tim Cook via his official Weibo post.
After that, he posted a video, which showed that he was attending the "Honor of Kings" tournament. He said that this game of the TiMi Studio Group is a global phenomenon on the official Apple App Store.
"Thank you TiMi Studio Group and all the talented gamers who were competing at Apple Taikoo Li Chengdu. The energy tonight was off the charts!" added the tech executive.
Fox Business reported that Tim Cook's surprise China visit happened as reports revealed that the first iPhone 15 sales in the Asian market were pretty sluggish.
Counterpoint, a global market research firm, claimed that the iPhone 15 sales in China were underperforming during their first 17 days.
The company revealed that the iPhone 15 Pro Max's YoY (year-over-year) growth is 14% less compared to the iPhone 14 Pro Max during its 17 days.
In other iPhone 15 models, this negative YoY growth trend can also be seen if they are compared to their predecessors.
Read Also: Apple's iOS 17 Features Provide Various Benefits, Including Eye Health
Will Tim Cook's China Visit Help?
Apple CEO Tim Cook attends the Allen & Company Sun Valley Conference on July 08, 2021 in Sun Valley, Idaho. After a year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the world’s most wealthy and powerful businesspeople from the media, finance, and technology worlds will converge at the Sun Valley Resort for the exclusive week-long conference.
Right now, the latest China visit of Tim Cook will not really make a huge impact on the iPhone 15 sales. It is also unclear if this trip can lead to more sales in the coming weeks or months.
But, Apple will need to have all the help it can get from its leaders, especially since Huawei is making it hard for Apple to compete in China's smartphone market.
The sluggish initial iPhone 15 sales were announced after Huawei secretly launched a new smartphone, which is integrated with a high-end semiconductor, as well as 5G connectivity feature.
Huawei was once the largest smartphone maker in China. But, because of the U.S. sanctions it faces, this Chinese tech firm fell to the No. 6 spot.
However, analysts claim that Huawei is the No. 1 smartphone maker in China as of writing after overtaking Apple when it comes to sales.
Related Article: Apple Explains Why iPhone 15 Easily Overheats; Titanium Casing, USB-C Port NOT Among Causes
