appConfigEntityId

bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

isVideo

articlePageQuery

article

articleSchemaContent

content

hooksArticlePageAdvertisementConfigArticle

hooksArticlePageFloatingButtonConfigArticle

appConfig

filter

json

liveArticle

Xinmei Shen

The mounting challenges Apple faces in China will test John Ternus, the newly appointed CEO, as analysts watch if he tries to replicate his predecessor Tim Cook’s frequent “charm offensives” in the world’s largest smartphone market.
“I’d like to see if the new CEO can charm Chinese consumers as well as government ministers, just as Tim Cook has,” said Bryan Ma, vice-president of client devices research at IDC.
Apple announced on Tuesday that Ternus, 50, would be the new CEO effective September 1 this year, while Cook would become executive chairman of the board of directors. In a note on Tuesday, IDC said the transition marked “the most consequential leadership change in consumer technology in years”.
Ternus, currently senior vice-president of hardware engineering, will take over the world’s second most valuable company amid growing headwinds in China, its third biggest market.
Last year, Apple’s net sales in what it classifies as Greater China – mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan – declined 4 per cent year on year to US$64.4 billion, following an 8 per cent drop in 2024.

Intense competition from Chinese smartphone makers , whose handsets have incorporated many artificial intelligence features while Apple Intelligence remains in limbo, has weighed on the US tech giant ’s performance in the country.
Over the past few years, China’s smartphone market has developed into a “completely separate” ecosystem across hardware, solutions and services, said Nicole Peng, vice-president of consumer research at Omdia.
“The incoming CEO must recognise that for China, it is no longer just about region-specific hardware; it is now full-stack competition,” she said.
Apple also needs to fend off fierce competition from Huawei Technologies, according to IDC’s Ma.
“[Huawei is] rolling out some really good premium products, including foldable smartphones in particular, and that’s where Apple needs to fight back with its rumoured foldable that is [supposedly] coming out later this year.”
In the first quarter Huawei claimed the top spot in China’s smartphone market with its highest share in five years, according to a report by Counterpoint Research last week.
But there was some good news for Apple. Despite its continuous yearly decline in China sales, the US tech giant saw first-quarter shipments in the country surge 20 per cent, driven by “sustained strong performance of the iPhone 17 series, promotional price cuts and government subsidies”, Counterpoint said.
The “first and foremost” task for Apple’s new CEO should be to continue the company’s direct relationship with Chinese consumers forged by Cook, Peng said.
During Cook’s most recent trip to China, the 65-year-old executive appeared at an Apple Store in the southwestern city of Chengdu, where he engaged with celebrities and customers, according to clips circulated on social media.
This followed a visit to China last October when Cook met government officials in Beijing as well as shoppers at the Apple Store in Shanghai’s Pudong district. Apple’s iPhone Air sold out within minutes of its launch in China following Cook’s October trip.
IDC’s Ma expects Cook to continue to play a key role in Apple’s diplomacy efforts in his new role as executive chairman.
Ongoing tensions between the US and China also complicate Apple’s presence in China, where most of its devices are made despite US President Donald Trump’s tariffs and other efforts to bring manufacturing back to the US.
Apple accelerated its supply chain diversification last year amid tariff disruptions, with most iPhones currently sold in the US manufactured in India, according to Ivan Lam, senior analyst at Counterpoint Research.
“I think Apple, as well as a lot of their competitors, has done a good job setting up those other supply chains,” said Ma. “But at the end of the day, it’s difficult to match the efficiency and the skill that exists in China. So I do think that Apple is still going to be reliant on China for its supply chain in the coming years.”


Trade deliverables, Taiwan push and ‘strategic stability’: key Xi-Trump takeaways overall

Xi-Trump dinner puts US tech titans in spotlight – what does it mean for China ties?

From ping-pong to pickleball: China’s unofficial approach to diplomatic messaging

How was dinner? Takeaways from Xi and Trump’s evening at the White House

Apple

New Apple CEO John Ternus inherits a complex China portfolio as Tim Cook steps aside

Apple senior vice president of hardware engineering John Ternus announces new products in New York on March 4, 2026. Photo: EPA

Apple CEO Tim Cook is seen on a big screen in a live broadcast of his speech at the opening of the China Development Forum, Beijing, on March 22, 2026. Photo: Pool/AFP

Apple’s accidental AI feature roll-out in China risks regulatory backlash, expert says

The short-lived roll-out comes amid nearly two years of anticipation in China, where Apple Intelligence has yet to launch despite its release in major markets. Photo: Shutterstock

Apple’s accidental roll-out of its Apple Intelligence feature in mainland China risks raising the ire of regulators. Photo: Shutterstock 

ByteDance, Tencent step up AI talent battle amid reported departure of DeepSeek researcher

The DeepSeek logo is seen in this illustration taken on January 29, 2025. Photo: Reuters

The ByteDance logo is seen at the company’s office in Shanghai, July 4, 2023. Photo: Reuters

Tech

Big Tech

Market researcher IDC says the Apple CEO transition marks ‘the most consequential leadership change in consumer technology in years’


Market researcher IDC says the Apple CEO transition marks ‘the most consequential leadership change in consumer technology in years’.


New Apple CEO John Ternus inherits a complex China portfolio as Tim Cook steps aside

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Market researcher IDC says the Apple CEO transition marks ‘the most consequential leadership change in consumer technology in years’

Market researcher IDC says the Apple CEO transition marks ‘the most consequential leadership change in consumer technology in years’