Apple CEO Tim Cook has expanded his social media presence by creating an account on Chinese microblogging service Weibo, where he has already accumulated over 325,000 followers as of writing. Cook's first post on Weibo reflects on his current visit to Beijing to announce new environmental initiatives in China, including a new multi-year forestland program in partnership with the World Wildlife Fund.

Weibo Tim Cook
"Hello China! Happy to be back in Beijing, announcing innovative new environmental programs," wrote Cook, followed by a Chinese translation of the same message. Last month, Apple announced a partnership with SunPower Corporation to build two 20-megawatt solar power plants that will provide more than enough energy to power all of Apple's corporate offices and retail stores in China.

Coinciding with Cook's visit to China this week, market research firm IDC has released new data for the smartphone market that reveals Apple was the largest smartphone vendor in China during the first quarter of 2015. Apple shipped 14.5 million smartphones in China during the quarter for 14.7% market share, while Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi trailed in second with 13.5 million shipments and 13.7% market share.

IDC China Q1 2015
Huawei, Samsung and Lenovo rounded off the top five smartphone vendors in China during the first quarter, although IDC notes that each vendor's rankings often change quickly due to the volatility of consumer brand preference in China. Samsung and Lenovo, for example, both led the market at least once last year, but ranked fourth and fifth in the first quarter respectively.

"Apple was the top smartphone vendor in China in the first quarter of 2015, with consumers still having a strong appetite for the larger screens on the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. Xiaomi slipped to the second position as it faced strong competition from other vendors in the low to mid-range segment of the market, while Huawei maintained third position as it saw a good uptake in the mid-range segment. Samsung and Lenovo both led the market at least once last year, but rankings have since changed quickly, highlighting the volatility of consumers' brand preference in China."

With an estimated 1.4 billion people and growing, China is the world's most populous country and over three times larger than the United States, which has an estimated population of 320 million people. China is an increasingly important market for Apple, given that the country had higher iPhone sales than the United States for the first time ever during the most recent quarter.

Top Rated Comments

leftynaut Avatar
129 months ago
With an estimated 1.4 billion people and growing, China is the world's most populous country and over three times larger than the United States, which has an estimated population of 320 million people.

320*3 = 960 million
320*4 = 1.28 billion
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
horsebattery Avatar
129 months ago
Most social networks are similar.. Ello, Tumblr and others have similar layouts. Don't just single this out because its Chinese and we are known for knock offs. That's racist. A blatant copy i.e. the HDC Galaxys Note of the Note 4 is what you are looking for.
Really? Calling someone a racist because of that comment? There are many more similarities than you would care to admit. Check out Ello and Tumblr more closely, then compare Weibo and Twitter.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
keysofanxiety Avatar
129 months ago
He should get someone to translate it, I haven't ever seen an English post on Weibo[COLOR="#808080"]

They did, there's a translation straight after it.

Most social networks are similar.. Ello, Tumblr and others have similar layouts. Don't just single this out because its Chinese and we are known for knock offs. That's racist.

No implication whatsoever of racism with the OP's comment. Don't worry :)
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
redhawk87 Avatar
129 months ago
Happens in various places like that. There's a Russian social networking site VK that's pretty much almost a carbon copy of Facebook (or at least it was).

To add to your comment, I think this happens a lot in emerging economies. China and Russia are both growing rapidly. This also happened to Japan back in the 50's when its economy was booming. I think with emerging markets, its hard to innovate without imitating first. It's like a write of passage to becoming first world. Not saying its ok to completely rip of other companies. I personally think its horrible that these countries allow it, but you cannot argue with history and facts.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jamesjingyi Avatar
129 months ago
He should get someone to translate it, I haven't ever seen an English post on Weibo

----------

Wow! I'm amazed how similar Weibo looks to Twitter. Even the Social Networks are knocked off.

Most social networks are similar.. Ello, Tumblr and others have similar layouts. Don't just single this out because its Chinese and we are known for knock offs. That's racist. A blatant copy i.e. the HDC Galaxys Note of the Note 4 is what you are looking for.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
NutsNGum Avatar
129 months ago
Wow! I'm amazed how similar Weibo looks to Twitter. Even the Social Networks are knocked off.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

2024 iPhone Boxes Feature

iPhones Could Cost Up to $2,300 in the U.S. Due to Tariffs, Analyst Says

Friday April 4, 2025 9:30 am PDT by
U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday announced that steep tariffs will be applied to imports from many countries, starting April 9. The tariffs could have a significant impact on Apple, as the company assembles the majority of iPhones in China, and products imported to the U.S. from China will be subject to a 54% tariff. iPhone prices could increase by up to 43% in the U.S. due to the...
iOS 19 Mock WWDC25 Feature

iOS 19 Expected to Run on These iPhones

Monday March 31, 2025 5:28 pm PDT by
iOS 19 will not be available on the iPhone XR, iPhone XS, or the iPhone XS Max, according a private account on social media site X that has accurately provided information on device compatibility in the past. The iPhone XR, iPhone XS, and iPhone XS Max all have an A12 Bionic chip, so it looks like iOS 19 will discontinue support for that chip. All other iPhones that run iOS 18 are expected...
watchOS 11 Thumb 2 1

Apple Releases watchOS 11.4 With Sleep Alarm Update

Tuesday April 1, 2025 10:34 am PDT by
Apple today released watchOS 11.4, the fourth major update to the operating system that runs on the Apple Watch. watchOS 11.4 is compatible with the Apple Watch Series 6 and later, all Apple Watch Ultra models, and the Apple Watch SE 2. watchOS 11.4 can be downloaded on a connected iPhone by opening up the Apple Watch app and going to General > Software Update. To install the new software,...
iphone 16 pro colors 1

Is Now the Time to Upgrade Apple Devices Before Tariffs Lead to Price Increases?

Friday April 4, 2025 3:41 pm PDT by
If you have an older Apple device that you've been considering upgrading, you're probably wondering how the newly announced tariffs might impact prices going forward, and whether it's worth buying now before there's a price hike. Given analyst and economist responses to the tariffs, market panic, and Trump's stance on the current financial chaos, the answer is that making a purchase...
iPhone 17 Pro 34ths Perspective

iPhone 17 Pro: New 48MP Telephoto Lens May Change How Zoom Works

Thursday April 3, 2025 5:11 am PDT by
Apple is reportedly planning a major upgrade to the Telephoto camera in the iPhone 17 Pro, and while it may seem like a step back on paper, the change could actually improve real-world usability, if one leaker's claims are anything to go by. According to Majin Bu, the iPhone 17 Pro will feature a new Telephoto lens with a 48MP sensor, up from the current 12MP sensor found in the iPhone 16...
iOS 18

Apple Seeds First Beta of iOS 18.5 to Developers

Wednesday April 2, 2025 10:11 am PDT by
Apple today seeded the first betas of upcoming iOS 18.5 and iPadOS 18.5 updates to developers for testing purposes, with the software coming just two days after Apple released iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4. iOS 18.5 and iPadOS 18.5 can be downloaded from the Settings app on a compatible device by going to General > Software Update. We don't yet know what Apple is introducing in the iOS 18.5...
iPhone 17 Pro 34ths Perspective

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 10 New Features

Sunday March 23, 2025 10:00 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of March 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone ...