China's Citizens' Response To The Launch Of The IPhone 15

JAKARTA - Apple's iPhone 15 launch reaps mixed reactions in one of its largest market countries, namely China, on Wednesday, September 13. This is because many online users like faster chipsets and better gaming capabilities, while others prefer new smartphones from Huawei.

China remains a key market for the US tech giant, which launched its newest iPhone line on Tuesday 12 September. The company is at the forefront of China's premium smartphone market, in part due to the Huawei Technologies smartphone business being destroyed by US export restrictions, but also in the spotlight ahead of the launch of the iPhone 15.

Apple shares and its suppliers were hit last week after reports that Chinese government agencies and state companies banned their employees from using the phone. Meanwhile Huawei launched a new smartphone with advanced chips, which the Chinese company considers an attempt to make a comeback.

Apple's iPhone 15 launch attracted fierce online discussions on Wednesday, as previous new models did. The new phone will be sold online in China via Alibaba's Tmall market on September 15, and in physical stores on September 22.

The theme, which discussed the new launch, attracted 380 million views on the Weibo social media platform, with more than 800,000 discussions, including posts, comments, and likes, on the iPhone 15.

Many cheered happily over the new 3 nanometer iPhone 15 Pro chipset and Apple claims that quality console games like "Resident Evil 4 Remake" can be played on this device, attracting Chinese mobile gamers.

However, some social media users have doubts about choosing this American brand over domestically made rivals, especially after state media praised Huawei's Mate 60 Pro launch earlier this month as China's victory over US sanctions.

A survey by China's news portal, Sina, on a social media platform asking participants if they would buy Mate 60 or iPhone 15, garnered 61,000 votes for Huawei versus 24,000 devices for the iPhone 15.

A comparison of how the Mate 60 Pro can make phone calls and send text messages via satellite, while the iPhone 15 is only capable of sending text messages via satellite, has also led to significant discussions.

"The iPhone 15 smartphone can only send SOS messages via satellite, using previous generation technology already applied to Huawei's Mate 60, which supports full satellite calls," wrote one user.

China's smartphone market, such as in the global sector, is experiencing a decline, and analysts warn that this, along with the country's economic slowdown, could also cost sales of the iPhone 15.

Apple's third-party retailer in February unveiled a rare discount on the iPhone 14 Pro of 10%, which helps sales but could undermine demand for the latest series, analysts say.

"This is not a good signal for the 15 series that will emerge as some requests have been met before launch," said Archie Zhang, a research analyst at Counterpoint. "Before Huawei's surprise launch, we projected that Apple's sales in China in the third and fourth quarters would be flat or slightly weaker than last year."

Will Wong, an analyst with industry research group IDC, sees the development of the public sector and Huawei as a challenge for Apple.

"Sales (iPhone 15) will not be easy, especially because Chinese consumers are either careful in shopping or shifting their focus to entertainment or travel," he added.

China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Wednesday that Beijing had never issued a ban on the purchase and use of foreign phone brands such as Apple, but noted that it had seen media coverage of security incidents related to Apple phones.

IDC estimates Apple's share in China's premium smartphone market will gradually decline due to increased competition from Huawei.

For the first half of 2023, Apple holds a 67% market share for phones priced above 600 US dollars (Rp9.2 million), followed by Huawei with 15.6%.