Apple's massive iPad Pro was expected to do well upon launch in China, whose enthusiasm for the company's devices has bolstered the sales of many of Apple's previous gadgets like the iPhone 6S.
But only 49,300 iPad Pros have been used -- or activated -- in the first month of sales, according to Beijing-based data firm TalkingData, which tracks mobile device activations in the country.
The firm provided us a chart showing how much more popular last year's iPad Air 2 was in comparison in China. The iPad Air 2 outsold the iPad Pro by more than ten times in the first month of sales.
The iPad mini 4, released a couple of months before the iPad Pro, has also done better than the gargantuan tablet, but both sold significantly fewer than the iPad Air 2.
TalkingData's chief analyst Ann Tao told Mashable that the activation numbers for the iPad Pro don't look great at first glance, that the higher price tag of the iPad Pro should be taken into consideration too.
The iPad Pro is an important step for Apple in courting the business or high-end user, she said.
The device starts at 5,888 yuan ($908), and went on sale in China and nearly 40 other countries in mid-November. Other Chinese sites have also reported the iPad Pro's relatively flat [link in Chinese] first month.
Still, analysts have forecast the iPad Pro will bring in an overall $2.4 billion in revenue to Apple -- or three million sets -- in the first quarter it's launched.
The 12.9-inch tablet has a display as large as two iPad Air 2 screens side-by-side, and is powered by Apple's latest A9X chip, so it carries plenty of juice for heavy apps like video and image editing.
Despite reports of flat sales, Apple devices remain something of a status symbol in China, and netizens on Weibo have been posting excitedly about their new iPad Pro purchases.
One user showed off his gold iPad Pro next to his Macbook Pro, and said the engraving on the iPad Pro made it "one of a kind":
Another user remarked that using the iPad Pro is "magical", and even better after connecting the keyboard accessory to it. "It's even less reason to use a desktop now," he said, and added that where screen size is concerned, "the bigger the better":
This user said her husband bought her "the latest and greatest" iPad Pro in order to make her happy:
