Apple iPhone 16 Series Sees First Price Drop on Double 11: Official Discount of 500 Yuan, Pro Max Starts at 9499 Yuan, but Sales Fall Short of Expectations

Apple iPhone 16 Series Sees First Price Drop on Double 11: Official Discount of 500 Yuan, Pro Max Starts at 9499 Yuan, but Sales Fall Short of ExpectationsDuring the 2024 Double 11 e-commerce festival, the Apple iPhone 16 series, just a month after its release, received its first official price reduction. According to the Tmall Apple official flagship store promotion, the entire iPhone 16 series is eligible for a 500 yuan coupon, bringing the starting price down to 5499 yuan after the discount

Apple iPhone 16 Series Sees First Price Drop on Double 11: Official Discount of 500 Yuan, Pro Max Starts at 9499 Yuan, but Sales Fall Short of Expectations

During the 2024 Double 11 e-commerce festival, the Apple iPhone 16 series, just a month after its release, received its first official price reduction. According to the Tmall Apple official flagship store promotion, the entire iPhone 16 series is eligible for a 500 yuan coupon, bringing the starting price down to 5499 yuan after the discount. The iPhone 16 Pro Max starts at 9499 yuan, close to the third-party channel price. Consumers can also participate in the trade-in program for up to 1100 yuan in subsidies.

This price cut may be Apple's response to market competition pressure and sluggish sales. Many consumers believe that the iPhone 16 series does not offer significant upgrades compared to its predecessors, particularly in terms of innovation. In recent years, domestic smartphone brands have risen rapidly, achieving comparable or even exceeding Apple in terms of system fluency and hardware performance. This has significantly impacted Apple's market share in China.

Data from Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo shows that iPhone 16 series pre-orders for the first weekend reached 37 million units, a decrease of approximately 12.7% compared to the same period last year for the iPhone 15 series. Kuo states that one of the main reasons for this year's lower-than-expected iPhone sales is the weaker-than-anticipated demand for the iPhone 16 Pro series. Additionally, the failure to launch AppleIntelligence alongside the iPhone 16 series also impacted sales. Apple plans to release AppleIntelligence in Chinese, French, Japanese, and Spanish by next year.

Despite the Double 11 price drop for the iPhone 16 series, it remains to be seen whether the discount will reverse the sales slump. For Apple, enhancing product innovation and addressing competition from domestic brands will be significant challenges for future development.