Apple’s China sales continue to fall after Cook’s charm offensive in Beijing

Apple’s sales in China fell by less than 1 per cent in last quarter, a mark of continuing decline for the US tech giant in one of its most important markets, as it tries to woo mainland officials while warding off growing competition.

The iPhone maker’s sales in the Greater China market – which includes mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan – fell to US$15.03 billion in the three months through September from US$15.08 billion in the same period last year, according to the company’s latest financial report. Revenue for the region in the 12 months ended September 28 also fell 7.7 per cent to US$66.95 billion. The outlook has been rosier in the rest of the world, with total sales up 6.1 per cent to $94.9 billion for the quarter.

This continues Apple’s losing streak in the region. Greater China sales fell 6.5 per cent to US$14.7 billion in the second quarter, which the California-based company attributed primarily to lower iPhone and iPad sales.

Apple’s sluggish performance comes as the company awaits final approval from Beijing to launch its artificial intelligence (AI) services in mainland China. Chinese brands have been taking advantage of the absence of Apple Intelligence by rushing out their own AI-equipped smartphones.

Xiaomi and Honor, a Huawei Technologies spin-off, this week both launched new flagship handsets and touted their on-device AI capabilities.