Apple CEO Tim Cook paid an unexpected visit to China this week, addressing gamers in the southwestern city of Chengdu, despite his company’s declining phone sales in its largest market. Mr Cook said in a tweet late Monday on his Weibo social media account that he had visited Apple’s Taikoo Li store in Chengdu and met young gamers of the Honor OF Kings game. The online fighting arena game published by Chinese tech company Tencent is one of the most popular smartphone games in the world.
On the Chinese social media network Weibo, he commented, “The enthusiasm tonight was off the charts!” Honour of Kings began in Chengdu but has since become a “global craze on the App Store,” according to the state-run China Daily newspaper. According to Technology News UK, he believed that Chinese developers might replicate their success with software for Apple’s upcoming Vision Pro augmented reality headset, which will also be manufactured in China.
Apple is celebrating its third decade in the country this year. Mr Cook, Apple’s CEO since 2011, is widely recognised as the architect of the company’s embrace of Chinese production, but the relationship has been fraught in recent years. Covid limitations have hampered Chinese production, while geopolitical conflicts with the US have exacerbated supply chain issues. The corporation has recently attempted to increase production in India.
According to Bloomberg experts, Apple’s latest iPhone sales have fallen short of previous models. They blamed falling Chinese demand and increased rivalry from rivals.
