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The launch of Apple’s iPhone 12 drew mixed reactions in mainland China on Wednesday, with fans cheering for a 5G model for their favorite brand, while others planned to wait for the next devices from local rivals like Huawei.
Apple’s long-awaited launch comes as Chinese Android platform brands such as Huawei and Xiaomi have already launched high-end 5G devices that support China’s enhanced telecommunications networks, with some analysts saying the US giant is coming. late to the party.
In its second-largest market by revenue, Apple’s announcement was feverishly discussed on social media. With over 6 billion views, the ‘iPhone12’ tag ranked no. 1 topic on Weibo similar to Twitter in China.
When asked if they would buy the new iPhone, which will give Apple users access to 5G in a market where such networks are already widespread, respondents to a Caijing magazine survey were divided almost evenly: about 10,000 voted against, 9,269 said yes and a little more. 5,400 said they were still considering it.
Available to order in China from October 16, the iPhone 12 will cost CNY 5,499 (roughly Rs 60,000) for a ‘mini’ version, and will rise to CNY 11,899 (roughly Rs 1.30,000) for the top of the range. .
That price was also a hot topic, with many complaining that it was too expensive. “How is it so expensive even without a power charger or headphones?” Said one commenter, referring to Apple’s announcement that it would drop those components citing environmental reasons.
Many Weibo users said they can postpone ordering the iPhone 12 to await the expected unveiling of Huawei’s rival Mate 40 Pro this month.
Still, analysts said they were optimistic about the reception of the iPhone 12 in China, saying that the company probably still had many loyal users who had postponed updating devices until the launch of the 5G-compatible iPhone 12.
With the new model in sight, research firm Canalys recently revised its forecast for iPhone shipments to China in the fourth quarter of 2020 to a 14 percent year-on-year increase, a big change from the 1 percent decline it predicted. originally.
“In China now, 5G is not a premium feature, it is a must-have feature,” said Nicole Peng, who tracks China’s smartphone sector on Canalys. Peng said the launch of 5G “will trigger a new wave of phone replacements” for Apple in China before the end of the year and in the first quarter of 2021.
Canalys expects 50 percent of Chinese phone owners to use a 5G device by the end of 2020, as phone brands and networks have aggressively driven adoption. Only 29 percent of US phone owners will be on 5G devices at the same time.
Apple could also benefit from a possible collapse of its main high-end rival Huawei, which could see its smartphone division collapse next year due to US restrictions on its chip supply.
Neil Shah, an analyst at Counterpoint Research, said he expects Apple to benefit “significantly” from the potential gap that will remain due to US trade restrictions on Huawei to produce new phones at scale.
On the other hand, there is a persistent concern that Apple may be vulnerable to growing geopolitical tensions between the United States and China.
Beijing is expected to release an “entity list” prohibiting domestic companies from doing business with certain foreign companies amid industry speculation that Apple and other high-profile tech firms could be targeted.
However, throughout the past year, consumer sentiment has yet to turn negative towards Apple, even as Huawei’s troubles have made headlines in China.
Apple’s unit shipments in China increased 35 percent year-on-year in China in the second quarter of 2020, according to Canalys. That made it the only leading brand other than Huawei to see positive growth, a feat it accomplished even without offering a 5G device.
© Thomson Reuters 2020
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