"iPhone made a strong rebound in the Chinese market," this was one of the key keywords repeatedly mentioned by foreign media when reporting on Apple's latest financial results.

On January 30, early in the morning, Apple released data showing that the company's revenue increased by 16% year-over-year in the fourth quarter, reaching $144 billion, setting a new historical high. During the same day's earnings call, Apple CEO Cook could not help but smile. Cook told analysts: "Driven by unprecedented demand, iPhone had its best quarter ever."

From the data, iPhone revenue reached $85.269 billion, an increase of 23% year-over-year, accounting for as much as 59.3% of total revenue. Looking at performance across different regions, the business in the Greater China region stood out particularly, with iPhone revenue in the region rising to $25.5 billion, an increase of nearly 38% compared to $18.5 billion from the same period last year.

Bloomberg reported a detail - when Cook spoke about the performance of the Chinese market, his tone was especially positive.

According to Cook, during the fourth quarter of last year, the foot traffic at Apple's offline stores in China achieved a double-digit percentage increase compared to the previous year, and the number of users switching from competitors to Apple also saw a double-digit growth. At the same time, the installed base in the Greater China region and mainland China reached record highs.

"This result shows that our products have resonated greatly with Chinese consumers. Although the company expected growth, the actual extent of the increase surprised us. This growth is entirely product-driven, directly reflecting the love and recognition of Chinese users for the new generation of iPhones. I thank everyone." said Cook.

In addition, Cook said that demand for other products in the Chinese market also showed healthy trends. For example, he mentioned that most Chinese consumers who bought MacBook and Apple Watch were new users of these product lines, indicating that there is still room for further expansion of the market. In addition, iPad also performed well in the Chinese market.

Cook concluded, "Overall, it was an excellent quarter in China, and this achievement could not be better (We could not be happier with it)."

IDC Consulting previously released data showing that in the fourth quarter of 2025, Apple ranked first with 16 million units shipped, capturing a market share of 21.1%, with a year-over-year increase in shipments of 21.5%. vivo, OPPO, Huawei, Xiaomi, and Honor ranked second to fifth (Xiaomi and Honor tied for fifth), except for OPPO, all others saw a decline in shipments year-over-year.

Foreign media analysis pointed out that Apple's performance in the Greater China region has been closely watched because since 2021, Apple had faced a "disaster" in the Chinese market - under the fierce competition from local Chinese manufacturers, Apple's revenue and shipment volumes in the Chinese market fell into a low point. However, Apple's strong performance in the Greater China region helps boost investor confidence in the company.

Varun Mishra, senior analyst at Counterpoint Research, analyzed, "When Apple entered 2025, it was under the shadow of slow AI response, stagnant hardware, and increasing geopolitical and tariff pressures. However, the end-of-year performance showed remarkable resilience. Apple strategically shifted its supply chain to India and increased investments in the United States to alleviate trade resistance."

But it cannot be denied that Apple's strong performance is also related to price adjustments. Apple recently adjusted prices to obtain national subsidies, which improved the cost-effectiveness of its products.

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Original: toutiao.com/article/7601147778806317614/

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