Apple CEO: We resonate greatly with Chinese consumers

“iPhone makes a strong rebound in the Chinese market,” which is one of the keywords repeatedly mentioned by multiple foreign media outlets when reporting on Apple’s latest earnings report.

On January 30th, earlier in the day, Apple released data showing that its revenue in the fourth quarter increased by 16% year-over-year to $144 billion, setting a new record. During the earnings call held on the same day, Apple CEO Tim Cook couldn’t hide his smile. Cook told analysts, “Driven by unprecedented demand, the iPhone has had the best quarter in history.”

From the data, iPhone revenue reached $85.269 billion, a significant increase of 23% year-over-year, accounting for 59.3% of total revenue. Looking at regional performance, Greater China’s business performed particularly well, with iPhone revenue in Greater China rising to $25.5 billion, nearly 38% higher than the $18.5 billion in the same period last year.

Bloomberg mentioned a detail in its report — when Cook talked about the performance in the Chinese market, his tone was especially positive.

According to Cook, in the fourth quarter of last year, foot traffic at Apple’s offline stores in China achieved double-digit percentage growth compared to the same period last year. The number of “switching users” transitioning from competitors to Apple also increased by double digits. Meanwhile, the company’s installed base in Greater China and mainland China hit record highs.

“This result shows that our products resonate strongly with Chinese consumers. Although the company anticipated growth, the actual increase exceeded our expectations. This growth is entirely product-driven and directly reflects Chinese users’ love and recognition for the new generation of iPhones. I thank everyone,” Cook said.

Additionally, Cook stated that demand for other Apple products in the Chinese market also shows a healthy trend. For example, he mentioned that most Chinese consumers purchasing MacBooks and Apple Watches are new users of these product lines, indicating further market expansion potential. Moreover, iPads also performed well in China.

Cook summarized, “Overall, this has been an excellent quarter in China, and the results could not be more perfect (We could not be happier with it).”

IDC’s previously released data showed that in Q4 2025, Apple ranked first with 16 million units shipped, capturing a 21.1% market share, with shipments increasing by 21.5% year-over-year. Vivo, OPPO, Huawei, Xiaomi, and Honor ranked second to fifth (Xiaomi and Honor tied for fifth). Except for OPPO, shipments for the others declined year-over-year.

Foreign media analysis pointed out that Apple’s performance in Greater China has attracted much attention because, since 2021, Apple has faced a “ Waterloo” in the Chinese market — under fierce competition from domestic Chinese manufacturers, Apple’s revenue and shipments in China had fallen into a trough. This strong performance in Greater China now helps boost investor confidence in the company.

Counterpoint Research senior analyst Varun Mishra commented, “As Apple entered 2025, it was shrouded in clouds of slow AI response, hardware stagnation, and increasing geopolitical and tariff pressures. However, the end-of-year performance demonstrated remarkable resilience. Apple strategically shifted its supply chain to India and increased investments in the US to mitigate trade barriers.

But it’s undeniable that Apple’s strong performance is also related to price adjustments. Recently, Apple adjusted prices to obtain national subsidies, which improved the cost-performance ratio of its products.”