Apple CEO Tim Cook Visits China Amid Reports of Lower iPhone 15 Sales

Apple CEO Tim Cook has made a surprise visit to China amid reports that iPhone 15 sales are down in the country compared to last year's ‌iPhone‌ 14 models (via Bloomberg).

Tim Cook iPhone 15 launch
Cook visited an Apple's Taikoo Li store in Chengdu to watch a local gaming tournament for the major Tencent game "Honor of Kings" and talk to shoppers and staff. Cook later posted about the event on Weibo with a short video, saying that "the energy tonight was off the charts!" Cook then visited a Yucheng elementary school to see how students use the iPad to support local culture.

The appearance comes just a day after two Counterpoint Research studies claimed that ‌iPhone‌ 15 sales are down 4.5% versus last year's ‌iPhone‌ 14 lineup in China, causing Apple's share price to fall. As a result, Cook's visit is being widely associated with concern about ‌iPhone‌ 15 sales in China across various mainstream media outlets.

Cook's posts on Weibo during the trip have also aroused a usual amount of ire. For example, Cook shared a photo of Chengdu at night shot on an ‌iPhone‌ 15 Pro Max. The post was then "flooded with complaints" about the ostensibly poor quality of the image and unfavorable comparisons to pictures from Chinese devices like Huawei's recently Mate 60 Pro.

Related Forum: iPhone

Popular Stories

iphone 16 apple intelligence

Apple Aiming to Release 'Breakthrough' New iPhone Accessory

Wednesday February 18, 2026 12:43 pm PST by
Apple is looking for a "breakthrough" with its push into wearable AI devices, including an "AirTag-sized pendant," according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In a report this week, he said the pendant is reminiscent of the failed Humane AI Pin, but it would be an iPhone accessory rather than a standalone product. The pendant would feature an "always-on" camera and a microphone for Siri voice...
Apple Watch 15 Tips Every Owner Needs to Know Feature

Apple Watch: 15 Tips Every Owner Needs to Know

Thursday February 19, 2026 7:38 am PST by
Apple Watch is now eleven generations in, and packed with useful features that are easy to miss at first glance. To help you get more out of your new device, we've rounded up 15 practical tips you might not have discovered yet, including a few that long-time users often overlook. Bounce Between Two Apps On your Apple Watch, double-press the Digital Crown to see a deck of all currently...
Dynamic Island iPhone 18 Pro Feature

10 Reasons to Wait for Apple's iPhone 18 Pro

Wednesday February 18, 2026 5:12 am PST by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models at the same time, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 18 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. One thing worth...
iphone 17 pro green

iPhone 17 Pro Max Curiously Becomes Most Traded-In Smartphone

Wednesday February 18, 2026 9:13 am PST by
New trade-in data indicates that Apple's iPhone 17 Pro Max has rapidly become the single most traded-in smartphone. According to a new report from SellCell, Apple's latest flagship iPhone has quickly risen to the top of the independent trade-in market, accounting for 11.5% of all devices appearing in the top-20 trade-in rankings just months after release. The analysis is based on SellCell...
Multicolored Low Cost A18 Pro MacBook Feature

Low-Cost MacBook Expected on March 4 in These Colors

Wednesday February 18, 2026 5:42 am PST by
Apple will announce its rumored low-cost MacBook at its event on March 4, with the device coming in a selection of bold color options, according to a known leaker. Earlier this week, Apple announced a "special Apple Experience" for the media in New York, London, and Shanghai, taking place on March 4, 2026 at 9:00am ET. Posting on Weibo, the leaker known as "Instant Digital" said that the...

Top Rated Comments

31 months ago
I'm missing the connection between a trip and sales going down. Is it assumed that his "celebrity" will help increase sales? Surely market research could be done by locals better than the CEO coming into a small part of the country too.
Score: 25 Votes (Like | Disagree)
31 months ago

Cook's posts on Weibo during the trip have also aroused a usual amount of ire. For example, Cook shared a photo of Chengdu at night shot on an iPhone 15 Pro Max. The post was then "flooded with complaints" about the poor quality of the image and unfavorable comparisons to pictures from Chinese devices like Huawei's recently Mate 60 Pro.
LOL, color me shocked! I bet Pooh Bear couldn't issue that order fast enough.

The Huawei's could have a camera that is 10 times better than any other, I still wouldn't buy it.
Score: 23 Votes (Like | Disagree)
31 months ago
"The post was then 'flooded with complaints' about the poor quality of the image and unfavorable comparisons to pictures from Chinese devices like Huawei's recently Mate 60 Pro."

Have to love those state-sponsored bot accounts and/or nationalists who don't like "Western" companies and/or people/bots who don't like Apple. It's like the commenters who come to MR to complain about how terrible Apple products are because apparently there’s nothing better to do.

This isn’t to say the Mate 60 Pro has a worse camera (it’s supposed to be quite good), but people complaining that the 15 Pro Max has a terrible camera are not doing so from an objective perspective. This means they are likely falling into one of the groups I mentioned.
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Mac_The_Ripper Avatar
31 months ago
Tim Cook wants to save the planet and have peace on earth...in other news, Tim Cook visits China (the pillar of environmentalism and human rights) where he sold his soul to the highest bidder.
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)
tomtad Avatar
31 months ago
Reality is this is only going to continue as the Chinese phone makers continue to improve.
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
31 months ago

"The post was then 'flooded with complaints' about the poor quality of the image and unfavorable comparisons to pictures from Chinese devices like Huawei's recently Mate 60 Pro."

Have to love those state-sponsored bot accounts.
Yep, because no phone can take better pictures than iPhone...

Wait what? Huawei P60 Pro is actually above iPhone 15 Pro Max https://www.dxomark.com/smartphones/ - shocker
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)