Weak iPhone sales in China have raised concerns. Apple Inc. (AAPL.US) stock price recorded its largest single-day drop since early August last year.

On Thursday, Apple Inc. (AAPL.US) stock price fell more than 4%, marking its largest single-day drop since August 5th of last year. This performance is closely related to several reports about soft iPhone sales in China by Apple Inc. As of now, Apple Inc. stock price has dropped nearly 12% from its recent high in December, making it one of the worst performing seven major tech stocks in 2025. Market research firm Canalys released a report on Thursday showing that Apple Inc. has slid to third place in terms of sales volume in the Chinese smartphone market in 2024, behind local manufacturers Vivo and Huawei. According to the report, Apple Inc. sold 15% of smartphones in China last year, totaling 284 million units, down 17% year-on-year. In comparison, Vivo and Huawei saw strong growth in sales volume. As a key supplier for Apple Inc., Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd. Sponsored ADR (TSMC.US) forecasted a nearly 6% quarter-on-quarter decrease in smartphone sales for the first quarter of 2025. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd. Sponsored ADR produces core chips for Apple Inc.'s devices and attributed this decline to seasonal factors. Additionally, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd. Sponsored ADR stated that over half of its fourth-quarter revenue came from AI chips, not the smartphone business that traditionally held the largest share. Renowned Apple Inc. supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo stated this week that he expects iPhone shipments in the first half of 2025 to decline by 6% year-on-year, with the largest drop in the second quarter. He noted that Apple Inc.'s AI system "Apple Intelligence" has not yet been launched in China, which has not stimulated demand for iPhones. Kuo wrote in his report, "There is no evidence that 'Apple Intelligence' can drive hardware replacement cycles or service business growth." Apple Inc. plans to release its fourth-quarter fiscal report (ending in December) for 2024 on January 30th. With increasing concerns in the market about iPhone sales and supply chain performance, investors will closely monitor this financial report to assess Apple Inc.'s future performance trends.