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Apple
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Chinese consumers push Apple to record second quarter in China thanks to 5G iPhones

  • CEO Tim Cook said the Californian giant saw robust demand for iPhone 12 models during the three months ending March
  • Chinese consumers cited uncertainties around Huawei as a reason for switching to Apple handsets

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Apple fans line up to visit a new flagship store at Sanlitun in Beijing, China, on July 17, 2020. Photo: Simon Song
Iris DengandYujie Xue
Apple’s sales in Greater China, which includes Hong Kong and Taiwan, almost doubled year-on-year in the quarter ending March, buoyed by strong demand for 5G iPhones and first-time purchases of Mac computers and iPads, said the Cupertino, California-based giant on Wednesday.
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Revenue in the region climbed 87.5 per cent to US$17.7 billion, Apple’s highest-ever revenue for its fiscal second quarter in Greater China. It accounted for nearly 20 per cent of Apple’s global revenue during the period, which included the Lunar New Year holiday.

Apple CEO Tim Cook visits an Apple store in Shanghai, China, on October 9, 2018. Photo: Reuters
Apple CEO Tim Cook visits an Apple store in Shanghai, China, on October 9, 2018. Photo: Reuters

The company was “especially pleased by the customer response in China to the iPhone 12 family”, Apple chief executive Tim Cook said in a conference call with analysts, adding that the top two bestselling models in urban China in the quarter came from the company.

The iPhone 12 series, launched last October, were the first 5G handsets from Apple. The models were much anticipated by Chinese consumers who had already embraced 5G devices offered by domestic smartphone makers.

China shipped a total of 167.5 million 5G handsets in 2020, making up more than half of the smartphones shipped in the market, according to data from research firm IDC.

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Cook also noted that strong double-digit growth was recorded across all product categories. “About two-thirds of the people buying Macs and iPads were buying them for the first time. And so we’re attracting some new customers in China, which is really important to us,” he said.

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