China

Apple lost its top spot to Huawei in the Chinese tablet market in the first quarter of 2020 as the health crisis battered local sales, according to a new report today (via South China Morning Post). China's tablet shipments plunged 30 per cent in the first quarter compared to the same period last year, based on data from research firm IDC. Huawei was the only brand to see positive...

China could put Apple on an "unreliable entity list" alongside other U.S. companies, in a series of punitive countermeasures the country is prepared to take against U.S. moves to block shipments of semiconductors to Huawei, claimed a report over the weekend. According to the Global Times, the Chinese government's mouthpiece, the list would be a first step toward launching a series of...

Apple's main iPhone assembler Foxconn posted an almost 90 percent drop in first-quarter profit on Friday, as the impact of the global health crisis hit production demand from clients (via Reuters). But the Taiwanese electronics manufacturer said the worst was over, and the company would "stabilize in the second quarter," adding that it expects revenue to show double-digit growth in...

In a bid to reduce its reliance on China as a base for operations, Apple could be planning to produce up to $40 billion worth of smartphones in India through contract manufacturers Wistron and Foxconn, reports The Indian Economic Times. Several meetings between Apple's senior executives and top ranking government officials over the last few months have paved the way for the iPhone maker...

Apple shipped around 2.5 million iPhones in China last month, rebounding slightly after one of its worst months in the country on record (via Reuters). Apple sold fewer than 500,000 iPhones in February amid curbs on travel and transport, amounting to an almost 60 percent slump in iPhone sales. Mobile phone companies in general are hoping to see demand recover in China, where restrictions...

From today, iPhone users across China can set up their T-Union cards for Express Transit, Apple's contactless transit payment system. The new support is a result of a partnership between Apple and China T-Union, a contactless transit card currently used in 275 Chinese cities. Express Transit is an Apple Pay feature that allows users to pay fares with a swipe of their ‌iPhone‌ or Apple Watch...

Multiple third-party resellers in China are offering discounts on the iPhone 11 lineup this week, with savings up to an equivalent of $227 off a high-end iPhone 11 Pro Max, according to the South China Morning Post. On JD.com, the 64GB version of the basic iPhone 11 now costs 4,999 yuan (US$708), 500 yuan (US$70) cheaper than the original price. The more expensive iPhone 11 Pro has an even...

Apple has more than doubled its donation to China's virus recovery efforts, Apple CEO Tim Cook announced on Chinese social networking site Weibo today (via Reuters). Apple has now donated more than 50 million yuan ($7 million) to the country, which will be used to support long-term public health recovery efforts.China has shown incredible spirit and resilience during the COVID-19 outbreak...

As the coronavirus continues to spread in the United States and other countries, Apple is preparing to reopen its retail stores in mainland China. All 42 locations in the country will be open as of Friday local time, Apple confirmed to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Apple started shutting down select stores in China in January, and in early February, closed all stores in China. As the spread of...

The founder of iPhone assembler Foxconn said on Thursday that the resumption of production at its factories in China had "exceeded expectations," following the coronavirus-related disruption of supply chains (via South China Morning Post). [Terry Gou Tai-ming] told reporters that the return to work effort at Foxconn's factories in China had "exceeded our expectations and imagination," and that ...

iPad stocks are reportedly running low in China because parents are buying them to help with e-learning at home in response to school closures relating to the coronavirus outbreak. Nikkei Asian Review today reports that labor shortages have also seen suppliers struggle to meet production demands, amid government-imposed restrictions in an attempt to curb the spread of the virus. "Later the...

Apple sold fewer than 500,000 iPhones in China last month amid the ongoing curbs on travel and transport, according to government data shared on Monday (via Reuters). Shipments of Apple devices slumped to 494,000, from 1.27 million in February 2019. In January, their shipments had held steady at just over 2 million.That amounts to an almost 60 percent slump in iPhone sales – worse than...

Production on Apple's devices has been stymied in recent weeks due to delays caused by the coronavirus outbreak in China. Many of Apple's China-based suppliers had to shut down for two weeks or more in February, and there are still staffing issues as factories work to ramp up production around travel bans, quarantines, and other problems. Amid the China coronavirus outbreak, which has caused ...

A report by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute think-tank has named Apple among 83 other major companies benefiting from the use of potentially abusive labor transfer programs. The Chinese government has allegedly transferred thousands of Uyghur Muslims and other ethnic minorities from Xinjiang to factories across the country, implicating global supply chains. The report...

Apple has again declined a request to testify at a U.S. congressional hearing that is part of a wider investigation into Chinese influence on technology companies. According to The Washington Post, both Apple and TikTok declined an invitation from U.S. Senator Josh Hawley to attend the hearing, which took place on Monday, February 24. Apple and TikTok each have declined a request to...

Apple has now reopened 29 of its 42 retail locations in China, according to Apple's store websites in the country that were reviewed by Bloomberg. Many of Apple's stores in China have been shut down for the last few weeks due to the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak. Most locations that have been reopened continue to operate on shortened hours, with some open for less than eight hours a day....

Apple has updated its website to indicate that it will reopen 10 more stores across China, following closures due to the coronavirus outbreak that originated in Wuhan. The stores, listed below, will reopen on February 19 for limited business hours of 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., or 12 a.m. to 6 p.m. local time until further notice, as noted by iMore. Chengdu Apple Chengdu Vientiane City Apple...

As expected, Apple reopened its five retail stores in the Beijing area today as the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak in China continues. In a video shared by CNBC senior correspondent Eunice Yoon, Apple employees can be seen checking the body temperatures of customers as they enter the store for signs of fever. Yoon says Apple is also limiting the number of customers allowed in the store at once,...

Apple has updated its website to indicate that all five of its retail stores in the Beijing area will be reopening February 14 with limited hours of 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. local time until further notice, as noted by Reuters. Apple has yet to announce reopening dates for its other stores in mainland China, which remain listed as closed through at least February 19 on its website due to the Wuhan...

Apple's main iPhone assembler Foxconn has told employees not to return to work at its Shenzhen facility in China when the extended Lunar New Year break ends on February 10, according to a memo obtained by Bloomberg. "To safeguard everyone's health and safety and comply with government virus prevention measures, we urge you not to return to Shenzhen," Foxconn wrote in a text message sent to...