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As the battle heats up, Apple provides iPhone discounts in China.

Published

5 days ago

Farwa

In an effort to protect its market share from growing competition from domestic rivals like Huawei, Apple is implementing exclusive discounts of up to 500 yuan ($68.50) on its most recent iPhone models in China.

On its website, it states that a number of iPhone models are eligible for the four-day promotion, which runs from January 4–7, when purchased with particular payment methods.

There will be the biggest discount of 500 yuan on the premium iPhone 16 Pro, which has a beginning price of 7,999 yuan, and the iPhone 16 Pro Max, which has a starting price of 9,999 yuan. The price of the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus will drop by 400 yuan.

With China’s economy weakening and deflationary pressures causing consumer inflation to fall to a five-month low in November, the discounts come as consumers continue to exercise caution when making purchases.

China is the largest smartphone market in the world, and local manufacturers have stepped up their competitiveness, which has caused Apple to lose market share.

With domestically produced chipsets, Huawei returned to the premium market in August 2023 and has since been a particularly formidable rival. Over the weekend, one of China’s top e-commerce sites saw Huawei reduce the cost of a number of high-end gadgets, including smartphones, by up to 3,000 yuan.

Before making a comeback in the third quarter of 2024, Apple momentarily dropped out of the top five smartphone vendors in China in the second quarter. In China, the U.S. company’s smartphone sales fell 0.3% in the third quarter compared to the same period last year, while Huawei’s sales increased 42%, according to research firm IDC.

Along with other product categories like MacBook computers and iPad tablets, the Apple campaign offers discounts of 200 to 300 yuan on older iPhone models. Customers who wish to receive the discounts must utilize approved payment methods, such as Alipay or WeChat Pay.

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At NADRA mega centers, passport processing desks were introduced.

Published

12 hours ago

Farwa

Mohsin Naqvi, the federal interior minister, has stated that NADRA mega centers will henceforth have passport processing counters open around-the-clock.

The Passport Department has started implementing the directions from the minister.

There are now ten passport processing desks at the Siemens Chowrangi Site and Nazimabad locations in Karachi. To assist the public, these counters will be open 24/7.

The 24-hour passport processing facility will be extended across the country, according to Mustafa Jamal Qazi, Director General of Immigration and Passports. Around-the-clock services were already provided by offices in Islamabad, Awami Markaz in Karachi, and Garden Town in Lahore.

The resolution of passport issue delays has ensured a smooth process and prompt delivery for citizens, Qazi added.

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Two suspects who fired at Kurram DC were taken into custody.

Published

12 hours ago

Farwa

Two suspects were detained by police on Sunday for allegedly opening fire on Kurram Deputy Commissioner Javedullah Mehsud.

The accused have been taken into custody as part of the crackdown against extremists, according to police sources. The detained suspects have been moved to an undisclosed location for additional examination.

The crackdown will continue until all of the accused engaged in the firing incident are arrested, they stated.

It is important to note that Deputy Commissioner Mehsud and his security were hurt in Saturday’s shooting in the Bagan area. The event happened just after the first convoy of commodities from Tal to Parachinar set out on its voyage after a peace deal. The horrific event resulted in the hospitalization and injuries of three additional security personnel.

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PTI retracts its written demands, casting uncertainty on government negotiations

Published

12 hours ago

Farwa

Despite prior pledges made during joint remarks, PTI leader and dialogue committee member Asad Qaiser stated he was hesitant to submit demands in writing.

Qaiser said in a recent interview that the issues raised in discussions with the administration should be sufficient and regarded as formal demands.

He called it a “mere formality” that requests be made in writing, and he asked the government’s negotiating team to speak with the actual decision-makers and authorities.

Uncertainty regarding the upcoming round of negotiations was indicated by this change in position.