(Yicai) Jan. 16 -- Apple plans a rare limited-time offer in China for iPhones, including the latest iPhone 15 models, and some MacBook Air laptops to celebrate the upcoming Chinese New Year.

Customers can save up to CNY500 (USD70) by using specific payment methods when buying an iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, and iPhone 13 from Jan. 18 to Jan. 21, the US tech giant said on its Chinese website yesterday.

Sales of the iPhone 15 have been disappointing in China, according to a report by investment bank Jefferies Group, with sales tumbling 30 percent in the first week of this year from a year earlier despite significant price cuts on major Chinese e-commerce platforms.

Across-the-board price reductions for a new iPhone series is almost unprecedented, and they usually do not involve the Pro and Pro Max versions, Apple salespeople told Yicai. Apple does not participate in shopping promotions, including the June 18 and Nov. 11 retail festivals in China, one of them added.

The 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air with M1 or M2 chips will be discounted by up to CNY800, Apple’s website also said.

Several Chinese e-commerce platforms have already lowered the price of the iPhone 15 series. Discount giant Pinduoduo and Alibaba Group Holdings’ Taobao sell the 128 gigabytes iPhone 15 for CNY4,598 (USD640) with coupons thorugh their CNY10 billion (USD1.4 billion) subsidy channels, compared with a CNY5,999 price tag on Apple's website and flagship store on Taobao.

Editor: Martin Kadiev