Apple / Tim Cook
Apple chief Tim Cook is spending a few days in China , one of the tech company ’s most important marketplace and a major product manufacturing hub .
His visit derive as iPhone sales in the country strike down 24 % year - on - year in the first six weeks of 2024 , grant to data fromCounterpoint Research . The slump was attributed to strong competition from local technical school firms such as Huawei , although “ abnormally in high spirits ” gross sales in January 2023 were also a factor .
Apple/Tim Cook
Cook arrived in the Asian giant on Wednesday , sharing the intelligence not on X ( formerly Twitter ) but to his 1.68 million followerson Weibo , the Chinese social mass medium behemoth .
His schedule expect to be a busy one . On Thursday , for case , Cook will afford a new Apple Store ( below ) in the Jing’an district of the massive metropolis of Shanghai .
In one of many upbeat office share since his arrival , the Apple CEO said he ’d taken a perambulation along the famous Bund riverbank domain with Chinese actor and boob tube personality Zheng Kai , and enjoyed “ a classic Shanghai breakfast , ” sum that he ’s “ always so happy to be back in this remarkable city . ”
Cook also pay up a visit to the studio of manager Mo Lyu , who , according to another of Cook ’s posts , uses Apple ware “ in every stage of the creative process , from storyboarding with iPad to fritter away on iPhone 15 Pro Max , to editing with MacBook Pro . ”
by and by , the Apple boss posted a exposure ( top ) of himself among a crowd of shopper inside another Shanghai Apple Store — one of seven , shortly to be eight , in the city .
In an interview with theChina Dailyon Wednesday , Cook channelize to the importance of Apple ’s “ longtime , win - winnings family relationship ” with Chinese suppliers , saying , “ It ’s the partnership between Apple and Taiwanese troupe that really makes things happen . ”
But of grow implication regarding Apple ’s manufacture efforts is its recent pivot toward India , with the company aiming to use suppliers there to build a twenty-five percent of the Earth ’s iPhones annually within the next three years , according to aWall Street Journalreport in December that bring up people familiar with the matter . Apple make up one’s mind to diversify its manufacturing operations following challengesthat emerged during the pandemicand also due to ongoing political tension between the U.S. and China that could impact supply chains .
But Cook ’s late charm offence highlight the continuing importance of China to Apple ’s bottom argument and its desire to retain the supply chains and factories that it ’s spent twelvemonth developing there .
