A Chinese retailer cuts the price of the iPhone 14 Pro series by about 15,000 yen, possibly an attempt to overcome the decline in smartphone demand

Apple's authorized resellers in China, JD.com and China Mobile , have cut the price of the iPhone 14 Pro series by 800 yuan (about 15,000 yen). In China in 2022, smartphone shipments have fallen below 300 million units for the first time in 10 years, and it has been reported that the smartphone market is sluggish, and this price cut is expected to respond to the decreasing demand for smartphones. .

Apple's Latest iPhones Sell at Rare $100-Plus Discounts in China (AAPL) - Bloomberg
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-02-06/apple-s-latest-iphones-sell-at-rare-100-plus-discounts-in-china

Apple Cuts iPhone 14 Pro Prices in China by Up to $118 in Rare Sales Push - MacRumors
https://www.macrumors.com/2023/02/06/apple-cuts-iphone-14-pro-prices-china/

Apple iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max prices cut in China by retailers
https://www.cnbc.com/2023/02/06/apple-iphone-14-pro-and-pro-max-prices-cut-in-china-by-retailers.html

At JD.com and China Mobile, Apple's authorized resellers in China, the iPhone 14 Pro after the price reduction is sold from the lowest price of 7,199 yuan (about 140,000 yen), and the iPhone 14 Pro Max is sold at 8,199 yuan (about 16,000 yen). million yen). Other retailers are also cutting prices on the iPhone 14 Pro series. On the other hand, there is no price reduction on Apple's official website in China, and the regular price of iPhone 14 Pro is 7999 yuan (about 156,000 yen) and iPhone 14 Pro Max is 8999 yuan (about 175,000 yen). It is sold in

Apple tightly controls the prices of its products in China, and it is rare for retailers to offer significant discounts. However, the smartphone market in China in 2022 has been significantly sluggish, and it has been confirmed that the number of iPhone shipments in China in 2022 will decrease by more than 4% year-on-year.

In addition, due to the lockdown due to the epidemic of the new coronavirus, the Foxconn factory, which is responsible for 70% of the world's iPhone manufacturing, was temporarily closed, causing major disruption to the production of the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max. Additionally, temporary factory closures, along with a downturn in the global smartphone market, saw Apple see overall revenue decline 5% year-over-year in the fourth quarter of 2022, marking its first year-over-year decline since 2019. Reportedly underperforming sales.

Apple announces financial results for the first quarter of 2023, sales fell 5% year-on-year, recording the largest rate of decline since 2016-GIGAZINE

Although it is believed that retailers have accepted price cuts for the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max as a solution to Apple's deteriorating business performance in 2022, AppleInsider , a news site that specializes in Apple information, said, ``This price cut is 'Since it happened during the Lunar New Year season, the price cut may not be in response to lower demand for iPhones.'

Apple announced its financial results on February 2, 2023, local time, suggesting that its performance in the first quarter of 2023 is recovering.