Apple Lowers Prices of iPhones, iPads, Macs, AirPods, and More in China as VAT Cut Takes Effect
Apple has lowered the prices of several products in China this week, including the latest iPhones, iPads, and AirPods.
As noted by CNBC, the iPhone XR now starts at 6199 RMB on Apple's online store in China, nearly five percent lower than its previous 6499 RMB price tag. The higher-end iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max models each received a 500 RMB price cut as well and now start at 8,199 RMB and 9,099 RMB respectively.
Likewise, the second-generation AirPods with the standard Lightning charging case now start at 1,246 RMB, down slightly from 1,279 RMB, and the 11-inch iPad Pro has been discounted to 6,331 RMB from 6,499 RMB previously.
The price cuts appear to be due in part to a reduction in China's value-added tax (VAT) that went into effect today to help boost the economy there, but regardless of the reason, any price cut could be good news for Apple as it seeks to bolster sales in China.
Last quarter, Apple issued its first revenue warning in 16 years due to "fewer iPhone upgrades" than it anticipated and "significantly greater" than expected economic weakness in the Greater China region. Apple already discounted iPhone prices at third-party resellers in China to improve results.
Popular Stories
With the design overhaul that's coming this year, Apple plans to rename all of its operating systems, reports Bloomberg. Going forward, iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, watchOS, and visionOS will be identified by year, rather than by version number. We're not going to be getting iOS 19, we're getting iOS 26.
Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos.
iOS 26 will be accompanied by...
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices.
Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of May 2025:
Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone X ...
Apple's iPhone 17 lineup will include four iPhones, and two of those are going to get all-new display sizes. There's the iPhone 17 Air, which we've heard about several times, but the standard iPhone 17 is also going to have a different display size.
We've heard a bit about the updated size before, but with most rumors focusing on the iPhone 17 Air, it's easy to forget. Display analyst Ross...
Sony today provided a closer look at the iPhone rigs used to shoot the upcoming post-apocalyptic British horror movie "28 Years Later" (via IGN).
With a budget of $75 million, Danny Boyle's 28 Years Later will become the first major blockbuster movie to be shot on iPhone. 28 Years Later is the sequel to "28 Days Later" (2002) and "28 Weeks Later" (2007), which depict the aftermath of a...
The next major version of macOS, now dubbed "macOS 26," is rumored to drop support for several older Intel-based Mac models currently compatible with macOS Sequoia.
According to individuals familiar with the matter cited by AppleInsider, the following Macs will not be supported by the next version of macOS:
MacBook Pro (2018)
iMac (2019)
iMac Pro (2017)
Mac mini (2018)
MacB...
With the next-generation version of iOS and other 2025 software updates, Apple is planning to change its numbering scheme. Rather than iOS 19, which would logically follow iOS 18, Apple is instead going to call the update iOS 26. Apple plans to use 26 across all of its platforms (the number representing the upcoming year), which will presumably be less confusing than having iOS 19, macOS 16,...
