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Apple iPhone 13 pre-orders show signs of growth in China

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iPhone 13

Source: Apple Inc.

More Chinese consumers are rushing to order Apple‘s latest iPhone now than last year, according to a South China Morning Post report published Thursday.

The paper said that more than 2,000,000 pre-orders for iPhone 13 have been placed through Apple’s online store at JD.com. This is in comparison to the last year’s 1.5million pre-orders for the iPhone 12 through the JD.com online store. The South China Morning Post also reported that consumer interest appears high on Alibaba‘s Tmall platform, which starts pre-orders Friday.

China is still Apple’s largest market, so any sign of growth in sales there will be significant going into the holiday quarter. It’s also a signal that there’s still strong interest in the iPhone 13, despite the fact that it’s a relatively small upgrade over last year’s model.

Apple unveiled its latest iPhone at a virtual event on Tuesday. Apple stated that the iPhone 13 features a thinner display, called a “notch”, at the top of its screen. It also has larger batteries, which provide between 1.5 to 2.5 hours more battery life per device than the previous year.

Its camera modules are also now arranged diagonally. The exterior appearance of the new model is not significantly different.

The Tuesday event has not influenced investors. Stock prices at the company are relatively flat over the past week.

Pre-orders are being boosted in part by weak Chinese competition, according to South China Morning Post. According to the paper, Apple’s Chinese competitor, Huawei, continues to face trade sanctions, and Huawei has yet produced a premium smartphone.

Read the full South China Morning Post report here.

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