Apple adds Chinese instruments to GarageBand amid campaign to reverse falling sales

Following a tough quarter where it lost ground in the Chinese smartphone market, Apple has been pulling out all the stops to make sure residents in this critical market are feeling the love.

The latest valentine to China came today in the shape of an update to Apple’s GarageBand software. The company said it added new Chinese instruments, language options, and 300 Apple-created Chinese musical loops.

In addition, Apple made it easier to share creations to Chinese social networks such as QQ and Youku.

“GarageBand is the most popular music creation app in the world and we’re excited to introduce these new features that incorporate the rich history of traditional Chinese music,” said Susan Prescott, Apple’s vice president of product marketing, in a statement.

No doubt this update had been in the works for some time. Still, the company has undertaken a full-court press following a string of bad news in China.

Not only did smartphone sales slide, but Apple recently lost an iPhone trademark dispute, and some of its online entertainment services were suspended.

This week, CEO Tim Cook is finishing a goodwill tour of China, where he also met with government representatives. Apple also made a surprise $1 billion investment in Did Chuxing, the nation’s ridesharing powerhouse and Uber rival.

The company said that the updates are available today and are included in GarageBand 2.1.1 for iOS and GarageBand 10.1.2 for Mac.