14 DAY TRIAL // The United States banning Huawei from working with American companies could actually hurt Apple on the long-term in China, as more and more nationalists give up on their iPhones as a form of protest.
A report from South China Morning Post quotes a couple of former Apple users who decided to switch from iPhones to Huawei smartphones in order to support the local manufacturer.
Furthermore, they claim it’s “embarrassing” to be seen using an iPhone these days given the Huawei scandal.
Wang Zhixin, a manager “at one of China’s largest solar module manufacturer” and a “diehard iPhone fan,” as the cited source calls him, has already made the switch to Huawei following the order signed by US President Donald Trump last week.
“There is a calling from my heart that I need to show support for Chinese brands, especially in the trade war climate,” he is quoted as saying. “The company has a reputation for better quality at a cheaper price,” Wang added. “[The P30] is faster and can take better pictures.”
Apple going down
At the same time, someone named Sam Li and working at a state-owned telecom company, claims it’s embarrassing to use an iPhone these days, mostly because everyone seems to be supporting Huawei.
“It’s kind of embarrassing to pull an iPhone out of your pocket nowadays when all the company executives use Huawei,” he says.
Furthermore, IDC analysts believe Apple could end up struggling to improve its market share in China given the national emotion around the Huawei ban.
“Chinese consumers’ love for Huawei can only increase because of the ban,” said Kiranjeet Kaur, senior research manager at IDC Asia Pacific. “Unless of course hardware supply chain constraints affect the roll-out of its phones locally.”
China is already a difficult market for Apple, as the company has a local market share of 9.1 percent, recording a 7 percent drop in the first quarter of the year.