A week after Apple launched its new iPhone 14 handsets in China, the verdict from consumers appears to be a mixed one, with Pro models in high demand but basic models facing lukewarm sales amid mounting economic headwinds in the country, reports the South China Morning Post. “Based on our current research, the standard iPhone 14 model has had a less favourable sales performance than that for Pro models, with the Pro Max being the most well-received [of the series] among Chinese consumers,” said Will Wong, a Singapore-based analyst at IDC.
The sales performance indicates “Apple may need to fine-tune its differentiation strategy between the standard and Pro models … [to] potentially better stimulate demand for more budget-conscious iPhone users,” added Wong.
Apple supplier Foxconn Technology Group is said to have dismantled parts of its production lines for standard iPhone 14 models in China and updated them to Pro lines, according to a report by Chinese state-owned media outlet China Securities Journal. A spokesman at Foxconn, formally known as Hon Hai Precision Industry, said the company “would not comment on market rumours.”