Tim Cook CEO of Apple went to Hanoi, Vietnam, on Monday. It reveals that Apple wants to sell more stuff in new places. According to the local news, Cook will talk to Apple fans, people who make apps, and creators during his two-day trip.
The CEO put up some photos on X in Hanoi with musicians on Monday. He drank a special coffee with an egg in it.
Cook’s visit happens when Apple is having a tough time. A report from the International Data Corporation (IDC) on Monday said iPhone sales went down 10% in the first three months of 2024 compared to last year.
Apple is competing a lot in the fancy phone market. They’re facing tough competition, especially in places like China.
In Vietnam, Apple is doing pretty well. They’re the third-biggest seller of phones there, after Oppo and Samsung. Vietnam is also a big place for Apple to make stuff, as they want to make things in different places besides China.
In 2022, Apple had problems making stuff in China because of strict rules about COVID-19 and workers being upset at Foxconn, a big company that puts together iPhones.
Last year, a report from Nikkei said Apple was moving some important work for iPads to Vietnam. Now, Vietnam is helping make and design MacBooks, iPads, and Apple Watches too.
“Vietnam is important to Apple not only because a lot of people there like Apple stuff, but also because Apple wants to make things in different places, not just China. Vietnam is one of those places, and Samsung has been there for a while too,” explained Bryan Ma, who works at IDC and knows a lot about gadgets, when talking to CNBC.
“Apple is also trying to make different things, like laptops, in more places. The companies that make Apple stuff, like Quanta and Foxconn, are already putting money into this.”
India is also becoming a big place for making iPhones. According to Bloomberg, Apple makes one out of every seven iPhones in India now. They started making the iPhone 14 series there in 2022. Plus, a lot of people in India buy Apple stuff.
Tim Cook went to Vietnam after 61 groups asked Apple to speak out against Vietnam detaining people who care about the environment and human rights.
