Apple has joined China’s national subsidy program, giving a lift to the U.S. company as it faces fierce competition from major local rivals and increasing challenges in the world’s second-largest economy. Consumers in Beijing and Shanghai can now get discounts of up to 2,000 yuan (US$278) on select Apple products — including the iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and MacBook — when purchasing directly from Apple, according to a statement released Tuesday on Apple’s mainland China website.
Ben Jiang for South China Morning Post:
To avail themselves of the government subsidy in Shanghai, consumers must make their purchase at one of the eight bricks-and-mortar Apple Stores in the city. Those in Beijing can enjoy the subsidy when placing orders via Apple’s online retail shop and providing a shipping address within the Chinese capital.
Select models of the iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch that cost below 6,000 yuan are eligible for a subsidy of up to 500 yuan, while as much as 2,000 yuan in discounts cover certain Mac computer models, according to Apple’s statement.
Although certain Apple products sold via local e-commerce platforms, such as JD.com and Alibaba Group Holding’s Taobao marketplace, have been eligible for such subsidies, Tuesday’s announcement marks the first time the US company has started offering discounts under the government scheme through its own retail channels.
The national subsidy scheme, which was launched earlier this year to incentivise consumer spending, provided a 15 per cent subsidy for purchases of smartphones, tablets and smartwatches that cost under 6,000 yuan. Discounts are capped at 500 yuan per item bought.
MacDailyNews Take: Can’t beat ’em? Join em. Think Different? Nah. ‘Tis bad for your health to do that in Communist China, as Tim Cook’s same old, same old one-trick Apple knows all too well. Instead, Tim Cook’s Apple will do even more of the same: suckling off the CCP teat.
Think Same. Yeah, for Tim Cook’s uninspired, underperforming Apple, that’s the ticket!
See also:
• Time to Think Different: Tim Cook’s leadership has run its course at Apple – June 20, 2025
• How Tim Cook’s Apple may have undermined America’s lead in technological innovation and even its national security – June 17, 2025
• Tim Cook firmly latched Apple onto China’s CCP teat. What’s his plan for weaning it off? – November 2, 2022
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