Apple’s iPhone 8 May Be Its Shot At Growth In China

Apple has been having a tough go of it in China, but with the upcoming launch of the iPhone 8, there are hopes that it may be able to boost smartphone sales in the country.

The Wall Street Journal, citing analysts, reported news that thanks to a growing population of affluent Chinese consumers, there will be demand for the high-end iOS device in the country. Sales of smartphones overall in China are flat year on year, but for devices priced above $595, sales are increasing, noted the paper.

Jin Di, an analyst at IDC, the research firm, told the Wall Street Journal Chinese consumers want to upgrade their mobile devices and want to buy the upcoming iPhone 8.

A move by consumers to buy the new iPhone will be welcome news for Apple, given its poor showing in the third quarter, which it reported last week. In China, sales dipped 9.5 percent to $8 billion. That includes China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. It marks the sixth quarter in a role the tech company saw declines in sales in Greater China, noted the Wall Street Journal.

The company is also facing new cybersecurity laws in China, and in July announced news that it was opening a data center in the country that would be run by a Chinese company that is owned by the government. It also kicked VPN apps out of the App Store in China, which helped people get around the Chinese government’s internet censorship and surf freely online.

On a conference call last week to discuss results, Apple’s Chief Executive Tim Cook said the company would rather not kick out the VPN apps, but it has to follow the laws in the countries in which it operates.

Analysts told the Wall Street Journal the company is making big efforts to play nice with the Chinese government ahead of the launch of the new iOS iPhone 8 and its iPhone 10th anniversary edition, which are slated to come out in the fall.