Once the go-to symbol of Western quality and engagement, Apple is now a third- or fourth-ranked competitor with Huawei, Xiaomi and Oppo.
China has always been a competitive market. Being foreign delivered a competitive advantage, even if the product quality was not always as good as it could be. The foreign brand premium covered a lot of errors, but that advantage is being whittled away.
This week, Apple, for the first time, closed one of its flagship stores in Apple Parkland in Dalian. It was a response to falling demand. This leaves Dalian’s 7.5 million population with just one official Apple outlet.
