China Mobile reports strong 4G user growth in January, following Apple's iPhone 6s chart topping la

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China Mobile, the world's largest carrier, added 23.3 million new 4G users last month, reaching 335.6 million 4G subscribers in total. That's a 214 percent increase over the previous year, and suggests that predictions of collapse in iPhone growth due to economic troubles in China are far fetched.


iPhone 6s topped sales share at launch. Source: Counterpoint Research


Record 4G growth on China Mobile is good news for Apple



In January, China Mobile "experienced its strongest 3G and 4G month-to-month unit growth in 11 months," noted Chuck Jones for Seeking Alpha. "It added 16.9 million vs. an average of just under 13 million for the past six months and the highest since February 2015's 17.7 million net new customers.'

China Mobile's record-high figures for new 4G users in December and in January occured despite the fact that the nation's Lunar New Year--China's largest gift giving season of the year--doesn't begin until February.

Apple won't report its March quarter sales until mid April, but record sales of 4G phones in China underscore strong results for Apple, which has capitalized on China as a new frontier for iPhone growth.

Last month, China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology released data showing a significant drop in Android's share of smartphone sales in the December quarter, leaving a 33 percent gain for "non-Android smartphones," a segment that 90 percent of which is Apple's iPhone.

Last week, Apple also launched Apple Pay in China, both at payment terminals in partnership with UnionPay and as an in-app option for developers to add easy, secure and private transactions for goods and services.




"We think China could be our largest Apple Pay market," said Jennifer Bailey, Apple's VP of Apple Pay.

Apple may buck predictions of a March quarter decline



In September, Apple's chief executive Tim Cook noted that the company was on track to exceed its 74.5 million iPhones sold in the previous December quarter. However, a series of supply chain rumors asserted that Apple would cut orders from its suppliers in the March quarter, inciting a panic surrounding the idea that iPhone 6s sales were troubled.

A series of smartphone suppliers also warned of worse than expected results in the December quarter, but those fears did not materialize in Apple missing its sales goals for December. Instead, those troubles appeared to be linked to another vendor: Samsung, which itself actually warned investors to expect poor smartphone performance under increased competitive pressure.

Apple has repeatedly warned that rumors of supply chain cuts do not and can not provide a clear picture into the company's operations. Previous rumors floated by the Wall Street Journal and Japan's Nikkei of supposed supplier cuts as large as 50 percent did not result in any observable change in the number of iPhones that were actually sold.

However, expectations for Apple's March quarter remain pessimistic, due to global economic conditions and weakening currencies across many regions. Based on Apple's guidance, Jones provided an estimate for $16 billion in revenue from China in the March quarter, which would represent the the iPhone maker's first revenue decline in China since the March 2011.

However, Jones noted that "if China's three wireless providers - China Mobile, China Telecom and China Unicom - can continue to post strong 4G user growth and Apple gets a revenue kicker from its new China stores, my projection for the March quarter could be on the low side.

"It may be possible for the company to eke out a sequential revenue increase in China, which would make March quarter's revenue above management's high-end of guidance."

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 9
    I can say after the recent news that an article like this is welcomed.
  • Reply 2 of 9
    5150iii said:
    I can say after the recent news that an article like this is welcomed.
    Yes, but don't worry... early April will bring frenzy of exaggerated lies projections...providing unrealistic expectations for quarterly earnings which Apple will not beat thus driving share price down again.
    cali
  • Reply 3 of 9
    The story is still intact so I'm sticking with that. Really hope this FBI drama can be over soon and new products and speculation of new products can start to drive the narrative again. 

    I side with Apple on defending encryption and want no changes to what they do as a result of this tantrum.
    calibadmonk
  • Reply 4 of 9
    If the March earnings report shows an increase, I'd love to see all the December doom-and-gloom analysts admit,"Oops... we were wrong." But not likely.
    calilatifbp
  • Reply 5 of 9
    jony0jony0 Posts: 378member
    If the March earnings report shows an increase, I'd love to see all the December doom-and-gloom analysts admit,"Oops... we were wrong." But not likely.
    Not likely indeed, that will never happen of course, because analysts are never wrong. If there is an increase, Apple was obviously deliberately sandbagging and and what would seem like a positive will quickly be spun as a negative as they will simply blowup any guidance to further unrealistic values to insure that Apple couldn't possibly reach.
  • Reply 6 of 9
    nlrznlrz Posts: 11member

    In January, China Mobile "experienced its strongest 3G and 4G month-to-month unit growth in 11 months," noted Chuck Jones for Seeking Alpha. "It added 16.9 million vs. an average of just under 13 million for the past six months and the highest since February 2015's 17.7 million net new customers.'
    The cost of 4G is now comparable with 2G (Edge) in China, which is why adoption is so quick. Prices have dropped constantly year on year.

    China Mobile's record-high figures for new 4G users in December and in January occured despite the fact that the nation's Lunar New Year--China's largest gift giving season of the year--doesn't begin until February.
    Lunar new year was Feb 8th and people don't buy gifts 8 days before the holiday, which is why the sales occurred in Dec/Jan. And Lunar New Year lasts up to 30 days (15 days earlier and 15 days after) for 75% of the people, so people break much earlier than Feb 8.

  • Reply 7 of 9
    I can't help but to ponder how Apple markets the products to Chinese citizens. Is it made in China assembled in China but Apple helped... A little ? 

    Or maybe they're like; Apple, they're not the fake ones. 

    Nonetheless this is great news only too bad they haven't repeated this success in India. 
  • Reply 8 of 9
    josujosu Posts: 217member
    I can't help but to ponder how Apple markets the products to Chinese citizens. Is it made in China assembled in China but Apple helped... A little ? 

    Or maybe they're like; Apple, they're not the fake ones. 

    Nonetheless this is great news only too bad they haven't repeated this success in India. 
    They are considered an import because the Assembled means don't have enough local components to be considered a local product.
    Sir_Turkey
  • Reply 9 of 9
    josujosu Posts: 217member
    5150iii said:
    The story is still intact so I'm sticking with that. Really hope this FBI drama can be over soon and new products and speculation of new products can start to drive the narrative again. 

    I side with Apple on defending encryption and want no changes to what they do as a result of this tantrum.
    Wise words.
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