Main topic: Xiaomi silently removes its music player and streaming app Mi Music from the Play Store in India.
Key points:
1. Xiaomi has removed its Mi Music app from the Play Store in India as part of its shutdown of various services in the country.
2. The app was launched in partnership with Indian entertainment company Hungama in 2018 and had over 1 billion lifetime downloads.
3. Xiaomi has been discontinuing multiple services in India, including its financial services business, cloud backup service, and short video app.
4. The Indian government has also banned several Xiaomi apps, including its browser, video call, and community app.
5. Xiaomi has faced regulatory challenges, including tax evasion issues and an executive exodus, leading to a decline in its market position in India.
Main topic: Apple's Q3 earnings and performance in the smartphone market
Key points:
- iPhone revenue declined from $40.66 billion to $39.67 billion compared to the same quarter last year
- Services revenue increased from $19.6 billion to $21.2 billion, beating analyst expectations
- Apple saw growth in China with sales up 8% year-over-year
- CEO Tim Cook highlighted the company's focus on AI and machine learning, including generative AI
- Apple plans to release its Vision Pro headset, a spatial computing device, early next year.
Apple's iPhone sales in China have surpassed those in the United States for the first time, contributing to Apple potentially becoming the biggest player in the smartphone market this year, despite global smartphone shipments being on track to be the worst in a decade due to economic headwinds in China and the US, according to Counterpoint Research.
Xiaomi reported better-than-expected profits in the smartphone market, with net income doubling to 3.67 billion yuan in the three months ended June, fueled by cost-cutting efforts and a focus on more expensive mobile devices.
US PC giant Dell Technologies experienced a significant decline in sales in China during Q2 of 2023, with shipments of desktops and notebooks plunging 52% amidst a weaker macro environment and the company's plan to reduce reliance on China-based supply chains.
Smartphone sales in the country declined in the second quarter, but at a slower rate, as consumers limited their spending due to high commodity prices, according to IDC.
The global smartphone market continues to decline, with a 6.6% drop in Q2 2023 and a 13.3% decline in the first half of the year compared to 2022, affecting different companies in different ways, with Samsung still leading but facing challenges from Apple, Xiaomi, Oppo, and Transsion.
Apple is expected to achieve year-over-year growth in Q4 thanks to better than expected iPhone revenue and profit, with the iPhone 15 Pro Max and iPhone 15 Plus performing well, while the standard iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro may face order cuts if their prices are not reduced, according to Ming-Chi Kuo's analysis based on supply chain sources.
