Apple Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Tim Cook, who recently visited China, made a surprise appearance on a livestream on Douyin (抖音, the Chinese version of TikTok) to announce the China launch of the new iPhone. Apple recently ceded the top spot in China's smartphone market to Xiaomi (小米) and is being chased by local players such as Vivo and OPPO, so it appears to have launched a publicity push to defend its lead.
According to China Business News on the 14th, Cook appeared the previous night on a livestream on the Apple Store's official Douyin account to announce the official sale of the "iPhone Air" in China. This is the first time Cook has communicated with Chinese consumers in real time. According to him, preorders for the iPhone Air in China will begin at 9 a.m. on the 17th, with official sales starting on the 22nd.
The iPhone Air is China's first eSIM-only smartphone. The iPhone Air was initially slated for release 4th of last month, but its launch was delayed due to the Chinese government's eSIM regulations. After the three major carriers, including China Unicom, received government approval the previous day to operate commercial services for eSIM smartphones, sales of the iPhone Air in China became possible.
Earlier that day, Cook visited the "Labubu" exhibition in Shanghai, China. Labubu is the signature character of Pop Mart, a Chinese art toy brand, and it enjoys global popularity. Tim Cook met Wang Ning, the founder of Pop Mart, and Kasing Lung, the designer of the Labubu character, and was gifted a Labubu figure. He wrote on Weibo (微博), China's social media platform, "It was great to see the characters being designed directly on iPad Pro." However, it is not known what specific discussions they had.
Cook's trip to China came as iPhone sales in the country have been sluggish. Apple rolled out the iPhone 17 series worldwide, including in China, in mid-September, but in China the new "Xiaomi 17" series has gained popularity and is challenging the iPhone.
According to a report by Chinese financial outlet Sina Finance citing data from a local market intelligence firm, Xiaomi recently (Sept. 29–Oct. 5) ranked No. 1 in smartphone sales in the Chinese market. Xiaomi's market share was 21.2%, with about 1.45 million units sold. Apple sold about 1.12 million units for a 16.3% share. They were followed by Vivo, OPPO, and Huawei in sales, each recording a market share of 14.0% to 15.9%, closing in on Apple.
Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun said on Weibo on the 11th, "It's remarkable that Xiaomi achieved this performance even as Apple's new products have just been released," adding, "The innovation, user experience, and product completeness of the Xiaomi 17 series are clearly being recognized by consumers."