Analyst: iPhone price cuts in China temporarily boost sales

Recently, American manufacturer, Apple, subtly reduced the prices of some iPhones in China and its sales have improved since then. However, Rosenblatt Securities, a market research firm believes that Apple is trying to boost the iPhone’s sales in the Chinese market by cutting prices, but this is only a temporary effective method. In order to make up for the iPhone’s sales gap, Apple’s use of the Chinese Lunar New Year to significantly reduce prices, this seems to have achieved results. According to reports, from January 11 to January 30, sales of Apple products increased by 83%. 

Analysts at Rosenblatt Securities said in an investor report that the boost was short-lived. The report pointed out: “After analyzing the recent data of China’s retail channels, we believe that price cuts will not help the iPhone’s sales in the Chinese market.” In fact, UBS analysts have also noticed the temporary benefits of the iPhone price cuts.

Rosenblatt Securities said that the overall smartphone market in China fell 12.8% year-on-year in January, while sales of non-Chinese brands such as Apple and Samsung fell 50% year-on-year, due to the “lack of design changes” in the entire market that could not drive demand. Specifically, Rosenblatt Securities predicts that iPhone sales will remain between 38 million and 39 million units in the March quarter, but slower sales may lead to a decrease in shipments in the June quarter.