Chinese shipments of foreign-branded cellphones, including iPhones, dropped by 49.6% year-on-year in March, reports Reuters.
Data released by the government-affiliated research company, the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology (CAICT), showed that March shipments of foreign-branded phones in China decreased to 1.887 million units from 3.747 million a year earlier.
As noted by 9to5Mac, the CAICT had released a similar report last March, covering January shipments. It noted a 21% drop in foreign-branded smartphone shipments, to 4.3 million units, compared to 5.5 million units year-over-year. The article says that one possible explanation for the steep decline is China’s nationwide smartphone subsidy program, “which kicked into gear last January and covers smartphone models priced below CNY 6,000 (approximately US$832).”
