Apple expects record holiday iPhone sales fueled by strong China market

[DragonSlayer101]

The big picture: During Apple's fourth quarter 2025 earnings call, CEO Tim Cook said the iPhone 17 lineup has received a "tremendous response" from customers around the world. Cook added that he expects both overall revenue and iPhone sales to reach record levels in the current quarter, driven largely by the upcoming holiday shopping season.

Speaking to Wall Street investors, Cook described Apple's product portfolio as "truly remarkable," highlighting the iPhone 17 lineup as the "biggest leap ever for iPhone" in both hardware performance and software capabilities.

When asked why the iPhone 17 family is seeing significantly higher demand than its predecessors, Cook attributed its popularity to a refreshed design that offers a more striking appearance and improved ergonomics. The new models also feature faster processors, upgraded cameras, larger batteries, quicker charging, and a host of other refinements.

On global performance, Cook said China has once again proven to be a "vibrant and dynamic" market for Apple, with foot traffic in retail stores across the country rising sharply over the last holiday quarter. He added that the company achieved a September-quarter revenue record in several emerging markets and an all-time quarterly revenue record in India.

Cook added that Apple recently opened new stores in several countries, including the US, China, India, and the UAE, making it easier for customers in more markets to access its products and services.

Apple reported total revenues of $102.47 billion for the quarter ending September 2025, an eight percent increase over the $94.93 billion earned during the same period last year. iPhone revenues alone reached $49 billion, up six percent year-over-year.

For the full fiscal year 2025, Apple earned $416.16 billion in revenue, a 6.4 percent increase over the $391.04 billion recorded in FY2024. The lion's share of revenues – $307 billion – came from hardware sales, while services contributed $109.2 billion.

With strong iPhone demand expected to continue, Apple issued aggressive guidance for the current quarter. According to Cook, the company anticipates year-over-year growth of 10 to 12 percent during the December quarter, driven in part by the iPhone 17, which he described as "off the charts."

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Apple expects record holiday iPhone sales fueled by strong China market

 

[scoffer]

Gotta laugh at all the "Keeping up with the Jones" people. China also produces perfectly good phones of, and even above, the quality of Apple. I'm not a China-lover by any means, but you have to give them their due. I had Huawei for years - great phones. Had they not lost access to Google etc. I would still be using them.

 

[OortCloud]

Chinese people buying phones covered in the blood, sweat and tears of their own nations slave labour force now.

 

[Megalomaniac]

I bought the iPhone 17 Pro Max 2TB in Deep Blue.
It's absolutely PEAK iPhone.
Everything I wanted from iPhone since iPhone 12.
I think I'll skip upgrades till iPhone 20.
I have no interest in a folding iPhone.

 

[Watzupken]

The iPhone 17 series is probably a good upgrade for people still using like iPhone 14 or earlier because it’s a good step up in terms of specs and allows USB C charging. Anything from iPhone 15 onwards, it’s hardly an upgrade in my opinion. It’s faster for sure, but if one is not running very taxing load on the phone, it’s pointless.