Core Viewpoint - Apple's CEO Tim Cook visited China for the second time this year, primarily to promote the upcoming iPhone Air, but faced significant backlash due to activation issues reported by users [2][5][11] Group 1: Tim Cook's Visit and iPhone Air Launch - Tim Cook's visit included a live stream on Douyin to announce the pre-sale of iPhone Air, set to begin on October 17, with official sales starting on October 22 [2][5] - Cook's interactions at the THE MONSTERS exhibition and the live stream aimed to generate excitement for the iPhone Air's launch [2][5] Group 2: Activation Issues - Users reported widespread activation problems with the new iPhone 17 series, with complaints surfacing on platforms like Weibo and Xiaohongshu [5][7] - Apple customer service acknowledged the issue, attributing it to server problems rather than device malfunctions, and assured users that the issue would be resolved quickly [9][11] Group 3: eSIM Service Launch - During Cook's visit, China Mobile announced the approval for eSIM mobile service, which will be available nationwide, coinciding with the iPhone Air's launch [4] - Apple updated its website to confirm that iPhone Air will support eSIM services from major Chinese carriers [4] Group 4: Market Context and Challenges - Apple's Greater China market contributed $15.37 billion to the company's total revenue of $94.04 billion in Q3 2025, accounting for 16.34% of total revenue [10] - Despite a 4% year-on-year growth in Q3 2025, this is significantly lower than the global growth rate of 10%, indicating challenges in the Chinese market [11] - The Greater China market experienced a decline over four consecutive quarters in 2024, highlighting ongoing challenges for Apple in this region [11]