Tim Cook Joins Weibo as iPhone Sales Remain Strong in China - MacRumors
Skip to Content

Tim Cook Joins Weibo as iPhone Sales Remain Strong in China

by

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

149 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)
149 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
149 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)
149 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
149 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
149 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

iPhone 4 on Black Feature

Full iPhone 4 'Antennagate' Q&A Video Surfaces After 16 Years

Thursday September 24, 2026 5:39 am PDT by
A 47-minute video of the Q&A session from Apple's 2010 iPhone 4 "antennagate" press conference has surfaced on YouTube, showing Steve Jobs, Tim Cook, and Bob Mansfield answering reporters' questions. The recording was highlighted by Daring Fireball's John Gruber, who attended the event. Apple called the July 16, 2010 press conference amid complaints that holding the iPhone 4 in a particular...
iPhone Ultra Fold Feature

Foldable iPhone Development History and Price Revealed in New Report

Tuesday September 8, 2026 5:55 am PDT by
Former Apple CEO Tim Cook played a major role in the development of the foldable iPhone, which could reach around $3,000 with storage upgrades, according to new details shared by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Early in the development of the foldable iPhone, the company reportedly targeted a starting retail price of $1,999, hoping to come under the "potentially controversial $2,000 barrier." The...
tim cook john ternus apple ceo

Tim Cook Comments on His Final Day as Apple CEO

Monday August 31, 2026 8:39 am PDT by
Tim Cook will be stepping down as Apple's CEO on September 1, with the company's hardware engineering John Ternus set to take over. With the transition set to take place tomorrow, there have been quite a few headlines about Cook lately. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. The latest story comes from 9to5Mac, which said it has obtained Cook's full memo to Apple...
Latest Stories
iPhone Duo Gets a Virtual Walkman App Ahead of Launch
iPhone Duo Gets a Virtual Walkman App Ahead of Launch
2 hours ago
iPhone Duo StandBy Leak Reveals Five Unannounced Faces
iPhone Duo StandBy Leak Reveals Five Unannounced Faces
13 hours ago
Apple Releases watchOS 27.0.1 for Additional Models
Apple Releases watchOS 27.0.1 for Additional Models
16 hours ago
iPhone 18 Pro First Impressions: What Do You Think So Far?
iPhone 18 Pro First Impressions: What Do You Think So Far?
17 hours ago
iOS 26.7.1 Fixes Vulnerability Used in Targeted Attacks
iOS 26.7.1 Fixes Vulnerability Used in Targeted Attacks
18 hours ago
Early Prime Day Deals Offer Up to 65% Off Anker and Jackery Power Stations
Early Prime Day Deals Offer Up to 65% Off Anker and Jackery Power Stations
19 hours ago
Apple Releases macOS Golden Gate 27.0.1 With Bug Fixes
Apple Releases macOS Golden Gate 27.0.1 With Bug Fixes
20 hours ago
Apple Releases iOS 27.0.1 With Face ID Bug Fix
Apple Releases iOS 27.0.1 With Face ID Bug Fix
20 hours ago
Last Chance: OWC's Best Mac Accessories Are on Sale Just for MacRumors Readers
Last Chance: OWC's Best Mac Accessories Are on Sale Just for MacRumors Readers
22 hours ago
12 New Things to Expect From Apple This October
12 New Things to Expect From Apple This October
23 hours ago
AirPods 5 vs. AirPods Pro 3 Buyer's Guide: Which Should You Buy?
AirPods 5 vs. AirPods Pro 3 Buyer's Guide: Which Should You Buy?
1 day ago
Apple Ordered to Pay $5.7 Billion Over Haptic Patent Infringement
Apple Ordered to Pay $5.7 Billion Over Haptic Patent Infringement
1 day ago
New Vision Pro Headset: Apple Considering Four Different Concepts
New Vision Pro Headset: Apple Considering Four Different Concepts
1 day ago
Amazon Just Knocked $900 Off Apple's Latest 16-Inch MacBook Pro
Amazon Just Knocked $900 Off Apple's Latest 16-Inch MacBook Pro
2 days ago
Top Stories: Apple Leaks, Siri AI Settlement, and More
Top Stories: Apple Leaks, Siri AI Settlement, and More
3 days ago
watchOS 27: 12 New Things To Check Out on Your Apple Watch
watchOS 27: 12 New Things To Check Out on Your Apple Watch
3 days ago
Banks and Credit Unions to Team Up Against Apple Pay Fees
Banks and Credit Unions to Team Up Against Apple Pay Fees
4 days ago
Apple Finally Shares tvOS 27 Release Notes With List of New Features
Apple Finally Shares tvOS 27 Release Notes With List of New Features
4 days ago
Amazon's $199 Discount on Apple Watch Ultra 3 Returns to Help Clear Stock
Amazon's $199 Discount on Apple Watch Ultra 3 Returns to Help Clear Stock
4 days ago
MacRumors Giveaway: Win an Apple Watch Ultra 4 From Lululook
MacRumors Giveaway: Win an Apple Watch Ultra 4 From Lululook
4 days ago
Apple Code Confirms iPad 12 Specs: A19, 8GB RAM, N1, C1X Modem
Apple Code Confirms iPad 12 Specs: A19, 8GB RAM, N1, C1X Modem
4 days ago
Some iPhone 18 Pro Max Users Experiencing AT&T Cellular Issues
Some iPhone 18 Pro Max Users Experiencing AT&T Cellular Issues
4 days ago
Launch Week Deals Hit Latest Macs, Apple Watch Ultra 4, and Apple Accessories
Launch Week Deals Hit Latest Macs, Apple Watch Ultra 4, and Apple Accessories
4 days ago
The MacRumors Show: Tyler Stalman Talks iPhone 18 Pro's Camera
The MacRumors Show: Tyler Stalman Talks iPhone 18 Pro's Camera
4 days ago
iPad Mini With A20 Pro, New HomePod Mini Colors, and New Apple TV 4K All Just Leaked
iPad Mini With A20 Pro, New HomePod Mini Colors, and New Apple TV 4K All Just Leaked
4 days ago
iPad Mini 8 Leaked: A20 Pro Chip, Landscape Camera, and More
iPad Mini 8 Leaked: A20 Pro Chip, Landscape Camera, and More
4 days ago
Exclusive: First Look at HomePod Mini 2 in Three New Colors
Exclusive: First Look at HomePod Mini 2 in Three New Colors
4 days ago
New Apple TV 4K Leaked
New Apple TV 4K Leaked
4 days ago
Create a Custom Pass in the Wallet App on iPhone
Create a Custom Pass in the Wallet App on iPhone
4 days ago
How to Check Your Mac's Manufacture Date in macOS 27
How to Check Your Mac's Manufacture Date in macOS 27
4 days ago