How does Apple tighten control of agents in Vietnam?

(Dan Tri) - Apple strictly controls all information about the upcoming iPhone 17 product line. Dealers are required to comply with the company's agreements.

As planned, Apple will hold an "Awe Dropping" event to introduce a series of new devices on September 9, with the focus being the iPhone 17 product line. It is expected that the iPhone 17 will have four versions, including iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Air, iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max.

AARs should not mention the iPhone 17 lineup until Apple announces it (Photo: Tom's Guide).

Thus, the event is less than a week away. However, when looking up on the website of the company's authorized dealers (Apple Authorized Resellers - AAR) in the Vietnamese market, users absolutely cannot find any information or images about the iPhone 17 generation.

In the past, every time Apple prepared to launch a new iPhone, dealers actively promoted product information, even accepting early "reservations" to attract users' attention. This has gradually changed in the past few years.

Speaking to Dan Tri reporter, a representative of an authorized dealer of the company in Vietnam revealed that Apple sets very strict standards for product announcement schedules. Therefore, each AAR must strictly comply with Apple's requirements, especially in recent years when the company has penetrated deeper into the Vietnamese market.

“This is part of Apple’s business agreement with the systems. Accordingly, the dealers will not mention rumors, side information or product images and specifications before the order date,” this person revealed.

In fact, this is a general rule applied by Apple globally. However, these rules cause many difficulties for domestic retail chains.

Last year, some domestic partners violated the agreement and launched promotional campaigns for the iPhone 16 ahead of schedule. Apple responded strongly by cutting off the initial supply of these agents, greatly affecting sales and competitiveness.

Apple’s move is in stark contrast to Android smartphone makers. Meanwhile, Apple’s competitors often extend the pre-order period by about 3-4 weeks each time they launch. This period gives dealers time to promote, communicate and “run numbers”.

iPhone 17 will be launched on September 9 (Photo: PhoneArena).

“This year, the order period is relatively short. This may affect the sales in the early stages of sales,” said an AAR representative.

In addition, although they are all AARs, Apple divides dealers into many different levels. For level 1 dealers, the supply will be prioritized for distribution more and earlier, especially at the beginning of the sale. This greatly affects the competitiveness between dealers.

Previously, Apple has repeatedly applied a policy of requiring dealers to import additional accessories or other products along with the iPhone, often referred to as "beer and peanuts".

In 2022, when the supply of iPhone 14 is interrupted due to the impact of the Covid-19 epidemic, this regulation will be even more obvious.

To distribute the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max, dealers in Vietnam have to import many accessories, iPads and MacBooks. This causes MacBook and iPad inventories to increase, forcing some dealers to sell at a loss to recover capital.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/cong-nghe/apple-siet-chat-kiem-soat-dai-ly-tai-viet-nam-ra-sao-20250904174722451.htm