Apple CEO Tim Cook returned to Shanghai to mark the upcoming iPhone Air launch in China, using the trip to link Apple’s tools with a homegrown pop-culture phenomenon. During a meeting at Pop Mart, Cook received a one-of-a-kind Labubu figurine modeled after him, complete with white fur, glasses, black jeans, a blue shirt, sneakers, and a tiny iPhone 17 in hand.
On Weibo, Cook praised Labubu’s creator Kasing Lung and described how Lung sketches characters on an iPad Pro using Apple Pencil, drawing a straight line between Apple hardware and modern character design workflows. Cook wrote, “Great to be back in Shanghai,” then added that Labubu “now has her own new iPhone 17 Pro in Cosmic Orange,” which neatly tied the moment to Apple’s current device lineup.
Lung amplified the exchange on Instagram by posting a selfie with Cook and a closer look at the “Tim Cook Labubu,” reinforcing how cultural icons and consumer technology feed each other in today’s global fandom loop. You see how Apple’s platform plays the role of both canvas and showcase when creators demonstrate process and product in the same breath.
Cook rounded out the Shanghai itinerary by visiting Apple Pudong, meeting the Lilith Games team behind AFK Journey, and dropping in on singer Wang Feifei’s music video set, where the crew filmed a single-shot sequence using an iPhone 17 Pro. These touches placed Apple’s camera and pro workflows directly inside Chinese creative studios and storefronts, not just keynote slides or marketing reels.
iPhone Air arrives in China with eSIM-only design
The iPhone Air opens preorders in China on October 17 and ships on October 22, after Apple cleared local approvals for a model without a physical SIM. At 5.6 millimeters, the device is too thin for a SIM tray, which makes China’s first eSIM-only iPhone both a design statement and a network milestone.
Cook’s Shanghai stop did more than celebrate a product date; it staged a conversation between Chinese creators and Apple’s portable studio of cameras, pencils, and processors. You get a preview of how culture and hardware will travel together when the iPhone Air finally lands in your hand.
