Sino-Singapore Jingwei client, April 6 (Chang Tao intern Lin Wansi) In the context of the impact of the epidemic and the launch of the 5G new machine in the Android camp, the iPhone 11 series has launched a major price reduction in the e-commerce channel, hoping to increase sales . At present, the 5G iPhone is still in a state of absence. In order to ensure that the new functions are launched as scheduled, Apple has adopted "unconventional operations." In the moment when the rhythm of new product release or has been disrupted, does Apple panic?
Photo of the new latitude and longitude Chang Tao in the data map
Up to 1600 yuan, iPhone 11 price cut across the board
The e-commerce channel fired the first shot of the current iPhone 11 price cut.
On April 2, the official Weibo of Suning Mobile stated that the iPhone 11 started to cut prices across the board, with the highest price reduction reaching 1600 yuan and the iPhone 11 with a minimum price of 4999 yuan. On Suning.com's official website, all models of iPhone 11 Pro Max are reduced by 1600 yuan, with a minimum of 7999 yuan to start; iPhone 11 Pro is reduced by 1200 yuan, and the 64G version is 7499 yuan; at the same time, iPhone 11 is also reduced by 500 yuan, with the minimum 64G version The price is 4999 yuan. In addition, iPhone XR and other previous generation models also have different levels of price reduction efforts.
iPhone 11 series current price source: Suning
On April 3, following Suning, JD.com announced a price cut across the iPhone 11 series. The Jingdong platform shows that the maximum coupon for all iPhone 11 products is 1600 yuan, of which the iPhone 11 coupon is 500 yuan, as low as 4999 yuan; the iPhone 11 Pro Max coupon is 1600 yuan, as low as 7999 yuan.
In addition, the iPhone XR 64G voucher for the previous generation iPhone model will cost 3,999 yuan after the coupon; the iPhone XR 128G voucher will be reduced by 500 yuan, and 4,499 yuan can be started.
Jingdong said that this was the first large-scale and large-scale price reduction in China since the iPhone 11 went public. Suning also said that this is the first large-scale and large-scale price reduction in China since the release of the iPhone11.
In addition to Suning and JD.com, Gome and other channels have also joined the ranks of price reductions, which are comparable to the above two platforms.
On April 6, a reporter from China-Singapore Jingwei browsed the above-mentioned shopping website and found that the price-cutting activity continued, but some versions of the iPhone 11 already showed out of stock.
For example, on Suning.com ’s official website, various color iPhone 11 Pro Max 512G are sold out, 64G version is only available in gold and silver; Jingdong official website, iPhone 11 Pro Max 512G is currently only available in gold. In comparison, iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 can choose more.
IPhone domestic shipments accounted for only 8% in February
At present, Apple's official website has not yet reduced the price of iPhone 11 series products. As for whether the price reduction of the iPhone 11 series of e-commerce channels has been officially authorized by Apple, on April 3, Apple said to the Sino-Singapore Jingwei client: there was no response.
Regarding the reasons for the price reduction, Suning said that Apple may hope to further increase its sales through strong price cuts. At least in the domestic market, the iPhone ’s previous major price cuts are still very popular with fruit fans, and sales are boosted. The effect is very obvious.
In the same period last year, the iPhone launched multiple rounds of price cuts. In January 2019, e-commerce platforms such as JD.com, Tmall, Suning and Pinduoduo successively lowered the prices of iPhone series products, including the latest models such as iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max. Subsequently, Apple officially launched a promotion to change the price of the iPhone XR by issuing vouchers to trade-in users.
In March 2019, the price of iPhone products including iPhone XS MAX, iPhone XS and other new models at that time reached a record low.
The effect of price reduction and promotion is obvious. According to information from Tmall at the time, from March 5, 2019 to 12:00 on March 7, the overall sales of iPhones on the Tmall platform increased by 150% month-on-month. Among them, iPhone XS Max sales increased 230% month-on-month.
For this round of price reductions, Sun Yanbiao, the president of the First Mobile Phone Research Institute, analyzed the Sino-Singapore Jingwei client. Affected by the epidemic, the iPhone 11 series generated a wave of inventory during the Spring Festival. At present, Apple has not announced a price reduction. In fact, it is the channel seller's dumping of goods to reduce inventory, "because the iPhone 11 becomes more and more uncompetitive."
Data show that Apple's sales in China have been significantly impacted. According to data released by the China Information and Communications Academy, the total domestic mobile phone market shipments in February were 6.384 million, of which only 490,000 were iPhones, which accounted for only 8% of the total domestic mobile phone market shipments, down from the same period last year 60%.
5G iPhone is missing, Apple faces two shocks
The spread of the new coronary pneumonia epidemic worldwide has had a big impact on the production and sales of Apple products.
In late March, Apple's official website launched a purchase restriction. The iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, iPhone X, iPhone 11 Pro Max, and iPhone 11 Pro are all limited to two. In addition, the AirPods Pro is also limited to two per person, while the new MacBook Air is limited to 5 units per user. According to foreign media reports, Apple's official website channel restrictions on purchases involved multiple countries, including the United States and China. Analysts believe that the purchase restriction is related to insufficient supply and logistics capacity under the new coronary pneumonia epidemic.
Offline retail channels are also difficult. On March 14, Beijing time, Apple's official website published a letter from the company's CEO Cook to Apple employees worldwide. Cook announced in the letter that Apple will close all retail stores outside Greater China until March 27. On March 18, Apple's official website updated the notice, saying that it would close all retail stores outside Greater China indefinitely. It is understood that Apple has 511 retail stores worldwide, and now only 42 of them are open in China.
According to foreign media reports, Apple ’s senior vice president of retail and talent Deirdre O'Brien said in a memo to internal employees that the company expects "all offices will maintain flexible work arrangements and all retail stores in the United States will remain closed. Status until early May. "
As of press time, over 330,000 new crown cases have been diagnosed in the United States, with a total of 9562 deaths, and over 10,000 cases have been diagnosed in Apple ’s global headquarters in California. Cook's statement on Apple's official website recently stated that all offices outside the Greater China region have begun to implement flexible working systems. If the nature of the work permits, employees should choose to work remotely, and colleagues who must work on site should follow the guidance and try to stay as far away as possible. Maintain interpersonal distance.
In the upstream supply chain, although Foxconn said that it will restore 80% of its production capacity in mainland China in March, in the current global supply chain integration, even if the Foxconn factory resumes full production capacity, production in other regions will be stagnant and the entire supply chain will be affected.
Guo Mingji, a well-known technology analyst who has long been concerned about Apple ’s dynamics and the deputy director of Tianfeng International Research and Strategy Department, said in an interview with the Beijing News that if the global epidemic cannot be significantly improved before the end of the second quarter, this year ’s sales of each item of Apple There will be a 10% -20% decline in volume.
Another challenge for Apple comes from the launch of 5G new products in the Android camp.
On March 30, Xin Guobin, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, said at the press conference of the Joint Defense and Joint Control Mechanism of the State Council that as of March 26, there were 76 types of 5G mobile phone products in China, with cumulative shipments exceeding 26 million units, of which shipments in 2020 More than 13 million.
New latitude and longitude photos in 5G mobile phones
The epidemic did not affect the major Android camps, especially the rhythm of the release of 5G new phones by domestic mobile phone manufacturers. On February 13, Xiaomi took the lead in releasing the 5G flagship product Xiaomi 10 Pro in China. Since then, various brands have followed up, and vivo, OPPO, Huawei, Glory, and Samsung have released new 5G mobile phones. At present, the lowest pricing of these 5G new phones has reached the 2,000 yuan file. For example, the Redmi K 30 Pro starts at 2999 yuan, and the Honor 30S starts at 2399 yuan.
The current 5G iPhone is still missing, and some analysts believe that this will inevitably affect the current appeal of the iPhone 11 series. Users with low brand loyalty may choose Android 5G products, and consumers with high loyalty can also wait for the iPhone 12 in September this year. However, industry chain news shows that the four products in the iPhone 12 series may all support 5G.
Some insiders also analyzed that the recent price reduction of the iPhone 11 series can improve the overall cost performance of the product to make up for the competitive disadvantage caused by the lack of 5G products.
Don't panic with Apple?
In fact, due to the impact of the epidemic, the question of whether Apple will release its 5G iPhone as scheduled this fall.
However, according to reports, Foxconn said in an internal conference call with investors that the new iPhone will be trial-produced on time in June, and mass production will begin in August without delay.
In order to ensure that the 5G iPhone is released as scheduled, Apple is also taking some "unconventional operations." According to foreign media reports, due to the impact of travel restrictions during the epidemic, Apple's engineering team is currently unable to travel to China. Instead, it uses online video calls to guide Chinese colleagues in the assembly of new mobile phone prototypes.
Unprecedentedly, Apple has allowed hardware engineers to take home prototypes of unreleased new phones. Prior to this, Apple had always implemented a strict confidentiality culture, and it was impossible to access the company's internal systems and important resources while working at home. However, in the face of the impact of the epidemic that cannot be ended in a short period of time, Apple is adjusting to the new rhythm of home work.
Independent telecommunications analyst Fu Liang said in an interview with the Sino-Singapore Jingwei client that under the epidemic, the rhythm of Apple's new product release may have been disrupted. But at present, the listing boom of domestic 5G flagship phones has not caused a particularly great impact on Apple. Apple does not need to take price reduction measures to cope with the siege of domestic 5G mobile phones. The real sales boom of 5G mobile phones will not be until the second half of the year. (Sino-Singapore Jingwei app)
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