iOS 18's AI Features Could Revive iPhone Sales in China

iOS 18's rumored AI features could revive faltering iPhone sales in China, according to DigiTimes.

iOS 18 Mock Siri Feature Baubles
In a paywalled report, DigiTimes explains that despite the Chinese market pivoting toward high-end devices, ‌iPhone‌ sales have reportedly struggled since the start of 2024 in the region against rival brands offering generative AI features and foldable displays.

In December 2023, Apple reportedly saw a 13% decline in revenue in China, following months as the top smartphone brand in the country by shipments, and there have been further reports of even more severe declines of up to 40% in recent weeks. Chinese consumers apparently see Apple's diminutive selection of AI features as contradictory to its image as a pioneering brand.

‌DigiTimes‌ reiterated previous rumors suggesting that ‌iOS 18‌ will contain a number of new AI features, but cautioned that Apple needs to make significant progress in the AI space to meet consumer expectations and revive the company's popularity in China amid fierce competition from brands like Huawei, which are heavily investing in AI research and development.

On an earnings call earlier this year, Apple CEO Tim Cook said the company was working on generative AI and would share details "later this year." Apple is expected to preview ‌iOS 18‌ at its annual developers conference WWDC in June, and the update should be released in September. Some new AI features could be exclusive to the iPhone 16 models later in the year, with the lineup rumored to get a "significantly" upgraded Neural Engine.

Top Rated Comments

Fuzzball84 Avatar
9 weeks ago
I highly doubt the lack of sales is about foldable screens and AI...
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mikelets456 Avatar
9 weeks ago

People in China know that iphones are boring slabs with poor OS and thus voting with their wallets.
I believe you're correct. The only reason I stick with Apple (iPhone) is their integration with Apple devices and other Apple users. However, they're extremely expensive for a bland product that needs updating. Their OS is preferred, however their hardware is lackluster, to say the least. A few years ago I would never consider going back to Android---now it crosses my mind from time to time. Android manufacturers are competing against each other and coming out with some really nice advances. However, Apple seems content in churning out the same bland looking devices year after year---but I do have to admit, they simply work and, as of now, that's my main priority.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Arid Avatar
9 weeks ago
drop in sales has more to do with big brother's displeasure with Apple moving some of its manufacturing out of China than anything else.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
SmugMaverick Avatar
9 weeks ago
Some incredible copium going on.

Apples AI is going to be the most basic stuff like magic eraser or auto translate in iMessage.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
dampfnudel Avatar
9 weeks ago
AI won’t be enough. What users in China want is a redesign of some sort. Many of them want an iPhone 16 Pro that can’t be confused with the 13 Pro, 14 Pro or 15 Pro. If it basically looks the same, sales will continue to slide. Maybe that’s why there’s an indication that Apple may be trying to change the look of the camera cluster.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
JohnRckr Avatar
9 weeks ago
People in China know that iphones are boring slabs with poor OS and thus voting with their wallets.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

Apple Silicon AI Optimized Feature Siri

Apple Releases Open Source AI Models That Run On-Device

Wednesday April 24, 2024 3:39 pm PDT by
Apple today released several open source large language models (LLMs) that are designed to run on-device rather than through cloud servers. Called OpenELM (Open-source Efficient Language Models), the LLMs are available on the Hugging Face Hub, a community for sharing AI code. As outlined in a white paper [PDF], there are eight total OpenELM models, four of which were pre-trained using the...
iOS 18 Siri Integrated Feature

iOS 18 Rumored to Add These 10 New Features to Your iPhone

Wednesday April 24, 2024 2:05 pm PDT by
Apple is set to unveil iOS 18 during its WWDC keynote on June 10, so the software update is a little over six weeks away from being announced. Below, we recap rumored features and changes planned for the iPhone with iOS 18. iOS 18 will reportedly be the "biggest" update in the iPhone's history, with new ChatGPT-inspired generative AI features, a more customizable Home Screen, and much more....
maxresdefault

Apple Announces 'Let Loose' Event on May 7 Amid Rumors of New iPads

Tuesday April 23, 2024 7:11 am PDT by
Apple has announced it will be holding a special event on Tuesday, May 7 at 7 a.m. Pacific Time (10 a.m. Eastern Time), with a live stream to be available on Apple.com and on YouTube as usual. The event invitation has a tagline of "Let Loose" and shows an artistic render of an Apple Pencil, suggesting that iPads will be a focus of the event. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more ...
Apple Vision Pro Dual Loop Band Orange Feature 2

Apple Cuts Vision Pro Shipments as Demand Falls 'Sharply Beyond Expectations'

Tuesday April 23, 2024 9:44 am PDT by
Apple has dropped the number of Vision Pro units that it plans to ship in 2024, going from an expected 700 to 800k units to just 400k to 450k units, according to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. Orders have been scaled back before the Vision Pro has launched in markets outside of the United States, which Kuo says is a sign that demand in the U.S. has "fallen sharply beyond expectations." As a...
iPad And Calculator App Feature 1

Apple Finally Plans to Release a Calculator App for iPad Later This Year

Tuesday April 23, 2024 9:08 am PDT by
Apple is finally planning a Calculator app for the iPad, over 14 years after launching the device, according to a source familiar with the matter. iPadOS 18 will include a built-in Calculator app for all iPad models that are compatible with the software update, which is expected to be unveiled during the opening keynote of Apple's annual developers conference WWDC on June 10. AppleInsider...
macbook pro purple february

Best Buy Introduces Record Low Prices on Apple's M3 MacBook Pro for Members

Thursday April 25, 2024 7:41 am PDT by
Best Buy is discounting a collection of M3 MacBook Pro computers today, this time focusing on the 14-inch version of the laptop. Every deal in this sale requires you to have a My Best Buy Plus or Total membership, although non-members can still get solid second-best prices on these MacBook Pro models. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Best Buy. When you click a link and make a...