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
140 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
140 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
140 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
140 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
140 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
140 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

Apple Logo Zoomed

Tim Cook Teases Plans for Apple's Upcoming 50th Anniversary

Thursday February 5, 2026 12:54 pm PST by
Apple turns 50 this year, and its CEO Tim Cook has promised to celebrate the milestone. The big day falls on April 1, 2026. "I've been unusually reflective lately about Apple because we have been working on what do we do to mark this moment," Cook told employees today, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. "When you really stop and pause and think about the last 50 years, it makes your heart ...
wwdc sans text feature

Apple Rumored to Announce New Product on February 19

Thursday February 5, 2026 12:22 pm PST by
Apple plans to announce the iPhone 17e on Thursday, February 19, according to Macwelt, the German equivalent of Macworld. The report, citing industry sources, is available in English on Macworld. Apple announced the iPhone 16e on Wednesday, February 19 last year, so the iPhone 17e would be unveiled exactly one year later if this rumor is accurate. It is quite uncommon for Apple to unveil...
Finder Siri Feature

Why Apple's iOS 26.4 Siri Upgrade Will Be Bigger Than Originally Promised

Friday February 6, 2026 3:06 pm PST by
In the iOS 26.4 update that's coming this spring, Apple will introduce a new version of Siri that's going to overhaul how we interact with the personal assistant and what it's able to do. The iOS 26.4 version of Siri won't work like ChatGPT or Claude, but it will rely on large language models (LLMs) and has been updated from the ground up. Upgraded Architecture The next-generation...
iOS 26

iOS 26.3 and iOS 26.4 Will Add These New Features to Your iPhone

Tuesday February 3, 2026 7:47 am PST by
While the iOS 26.3 Release Candidate is now available ahead of a public release, the first iOS 26.4 beta is likely still at least a week away. Following beta testing, iOS 26.4 will likely be released to the general public in March or April. Below, we have recapped known or rumored iOS 26.3 and iOS 26.4 features so far. iOS 26.3 iPhone to Android Transfer Tool iOS 26.3 makes it easier...
iphone 17 pro dark blue 1

iPhone 18 Pro Max Rumored to Deliver Next-Level Battery Life

Friday February 6, 2026 5:14 am PST by
The iPhone 18 Pro Max will feature a bigger battery for continued best-in-class battery life, according to a known Weibo leaker. Citing supply chain information, the Weibo user known as "Digital Chat Station" said that the iPhone 18 Pro Max will have a battery capacity of 5,100 to 5,200 mAh. Combined with the efficiency improvements of the A20 Pro chip, made with TSMC's 2nm process, the...