Apple's iPhone estimated third on units, number one in revenue in China

AppleInsider

The iPhone is doing quite well in China, having led the local smartphone market in revenue -- though not units -- during the first half of 2018, according to one research firm.

iPhone revenues hit $25.238 billion in the region, Sigmaintell said this week, quoted by Taiwan's DigiTimes. This is despite only coming third in unit shipments at 32.11 million, below Oppo's 38 million and Vivo's 35.5 million. In fact Huawei would technically have led them all with 58.96 million, except that some figures were split off into its Honor brand.

The gap between Apple's income and shipments is presumably linked to high prices. An iPhone X starts at $1,216 in China, making it far more expensive than most smartphones there, many of which probably cost half or a third as much.

DigiTimes noted that at least one local report has claimed the iPhone X accounted for half of the iPhones sold in China during the June quarter, but this figure is disputed by other sources saying iPhone 6-series devices make up the majority of shipments. A new iPhone can easily cost some Chinese workers a whole month's salary, which helps the appeal of older hardware.

Globally Apple reaped $53.3 billion in revenue during the April-June period, $29.9 billion of that coming from shipments of 41.3 million iPhones. CEO Tim Cook said that the iPhone X held onto its position as the most popular model overall, even though the iPhone 8 line may be doing better in the company's U.S. homeland.

nunzy

 Apple doesn't care about market share. They suck up all the profitss instead.  The real trick is how they can get that money back into the US so it can be paid to Wall Street.

rob53

nunzy said:

 Apple doesn't care about market share. They suck up all the profitss instead.  The real trick is how they can get that money back into the US so it can be paid to Wall Street.

Why should Wall Street gamblers get any of this money? Apple's profits don't impact any income investors get other than through dividends. None of Apple's profits are "paid" to Wall Street. Wall Street is one big gambling pot paid for by stock buyers, not by any profits by corporations. Apple doesn't owe Wall Street anything, especially since Wall Street is so corrupt in the way it manipulates AAPL stock. 

lkrupp

We are bombarded daily with gleeful reports that Apple is failing in China. More negative tripe or fact?

maestro64

This is why China is completely different than India, Chinese know product with value, even with all the lower cost choices in China, economics would say Apple should not sell many phones, but in fact they still sell lots because China has consumers who do not buy purely on price they want the best and are willing to pay to have the best. 95% of people in India buy purely on price, they buy what cost less and there is not much Apple can do expect make a cheap phone which Apple does not know how to do. I would say India is a few generations away from being like the US and China when it comes to buying consumer products.

anton zuykov

Apple to Xiaomi is like USA to China. Two of them are number one in terms of (cough) "units" produced. As for the revenue....ehh, that is a different story altogether.

mknelson

maestro64 said:

… there is not much Apple can do expect make a cheap phone which Apple does not know how to do. …

I don't think it's so much "Apple does not know how" as it is that they are not willing to do so an devalue their brand.

avon b7

anton zuykov said:

Apple to Xiaomi is like USA to China. Two of them are number one in terms of (cough) "units" produced. As for the revenue....ehh, that is a different story altogether.

To be fair, it is a different story 'by design'. The much talked about 5% cap nakes it a different story, at least for hardware.

However, if you read the bank valuation reports prior to the IPO, ALL of them highlight where Xiaomi's real growth potential is and actually it is the same story as Apple's: services.

Xiaomi has a product portfolio of around 300, many re-branded. Per the evaluations, revenues are potentially very attractive but transforming potential into cash is the key.

https://www.techinasia.com/xiaomi-ipo-business-model

edited August 2018

starxd

"The gap between Apple's income and shipments is presumably linked to high prices." Presumably??? More like definitely, and obviously - like goes-without-saying-obviously. There is nothing to presume because there is literally no other possible explanation...

starxd

nunzy said:

 Apple doesn't care about market share. They suck up all the profitss instead.  The real trick is how they can get that money back into the US so it can be paid to Wall Street.

Paid to Wall Street? What does that even mean???

spamsandwich

rob53 said:

nunzy said:

 Apple doesn't care about market share. They suck up all the profitss instead.  The real trick is how they can get that money back into the US so it can be paid to Wall Street.

Why should Wall Street gamblers get any of this money? Apple's profits don't impact any income investors get other than through dividends. None of Apple's profits are "paid" to Wall Street. Wall Street is one big gambling pot paid for by stock buyers, not by any profits by corporations. Apple doesn't owe Wall Street anything, especially since Wall Street is so corrupt in the way it manipulates AAPL stock. 

Apple voluntarily chose to become a publicly listed company, so...

avon b7

SpamSandwich said:

rob53 said:

nunzy said:

 Apple doesn't care about market share. They suck up all the profitss instead.  The real trick is how they can get that money back into the US so it can be paid to Wall Street.

Why should Wall Street gamblers get any of this money? Apple's profits don't impact any income investors get other than through dividends. None of Apple's profits are "paid" to Wall Street. Wall Street is one big gambling pot paid for by stock buyers, not by any profits by corporations. Apple doesn't owe Wall Street anything, especially since Wall Street is so corrupt in the way it manipulates AAPL stock. 

Apple voluntarily chose to become a publicly listed company, so...

It is paramount not to forget this. Apple has also benefited over the years.

claire1

Can we get Google's numbers from the region please?? *Holding in laughter*

gatorguy

claire1 said:

Can we get Google's numbers from the region please?? *Holding in laughter*

Google's Sergey Brin chose to stand on principle and took the company out of China more than a decade ago. Now with Sundar Pichai in charge as CEO there's been some rumors that Google is slowly sliding back in. We'll see if it actually happens, and personally I'd prefer it did not. 

EDIT: A 2-year old prediction from The Atlantic that may finally be coming to fruition. 
https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2016/01/why-google-quit-china-and-why-its-heading-back/424482/

edited August 2018

spamsandwich

gatorguy said:

claire1 said:

Can we get Google's numbers from the region please?? *Holding in laughter*

Google's Sergey Brin chose to stand on principle and took the company out of China more than a decade ago. Now with Sundar Pichai in charge as CEO there's been some rumors that Google is slowly sliding back in. We'll see if it actually happens, and personally I'd prefer it did not. 

Why? You go to play in China's playground, you play by their rules. Google will become the biggest source of state spying in Chinese history.

gatorguy

SpamSandwich said:

gatorguy said:

claire1 said:

Can we get Google's numbers from the region please?? *Holding in laughter*

Google's Sergey Brin chose to stand on principle and took the company out of China more than a decade ago. Now with Sundar Pichai in charge as CEO there's been some rumors that Google is slowly sliding back in. We'll see if it actually happens, and personally I'd prefer it did not. 

Why? You go to play in China's playground, you play by their rules. Google will become the biggest source of state spying in Chinese history.

Right now the 'biggest source of state spying" as far as big Western techs that would be the Chinese iCloud service, formally owned and controlled by Apple but no longer, correct? 

But I agree on the why. Google took the right stand (IMO) a decade ago and decided the ultimate loss of tens of $B's in revenue was less important than moral principal. I totally get that the world is a different place 12 years on, and Google leaving didn't bring a sea-change to the Chinese governments efforts to control of its citizenry. Still sad to think that money is so terribly important than principals can be tossed aside for more of it. When Western techs roll over chasing Chinese profits it seems like this old exchange:

Lord Beaverbrook of England is talking with a visiting American actress. In a game of hypothetical questions, Beaverbrook asked the lady: ‘Would you live with a stranger (quite politely put as other sources said "sleep") if he paid you one million pounds?’ She said she would. ‘And if he paid you five pounds?’ The irate lady fumed: ‘Five pounds. What do you think I am?’ Beaverbrook replied: ‘We’ve already established that. Now we are trying to determine the degree.”

edited August 2018

the monk

>>>new iPhone can easily cost some Chinese workers a whole month's salary<<<

There’s plenty of people in the United States who buy products that cost “a whole month’s salary.” They use something called credit.

claire1

gatorguy said:

SpamSandwich said:

gatorguy said:

claire1 said:

Can we get Google's numbers from the region please?? *Holding in laughter*

Google's Sergey Brin chose to stand on principle and took the company out of China more than a decade ago. Now with Sundar Pichai in charge as CEO there's been some rumors that Google is slowly sliding back in. We'll see if it actually happens, and personally I'd prefer it did not. 

Why? You go to play in China's playground, you play by their rules. Google will become the biggest source of state spying in Chinese history.

Right now the 'biggest source of state spying" as far as big Western techs that would be the Chinese iCloud service, formally owned and controlled by Apple but no longer, correct? 

But I agree on the why. Google took the right stand (IMO) a decade ago and decided the ultimate loss of tens of $B's in revenue was less important than moral principal. I totally get that the world is a different place 12 years on, and Google leaving didn't bring a sea-change to the Chinese governments efforts to control of its citizenry. Still sad to think that money is so terribly important than principals can be tossed aside for more of it. When Western techs roll over chasing Chinese profits it seems like this old exchange:

Lord Beaverbrook of England is talking with a visiting American actress. In a game of hypothetical questions, Beaverbrook asked the lady: ‘Would you live with a stranger (quite politely put as other sources said "sleep") if he paid you one million pounds?’ She said she would. ‘And if he paid you five pounds?’ The irate lady fumed: ‘Five pounds. What do you think I am?’ Beaverbrook replied: ‘We’ve already established that. Now we are trying to determine the degree.”

Right Google has morals like selling user data for profit.

brakken

Comparing Apple’s revenues to Huawei’s potential sales... is this actually a news story, or a written Escher sketch?

gmgravytrain

lkrupp said:

We are bombarded daily with gleeful reports that Apple is failing in China. More negative tripe or fact?

The only thing that matters is what Apple reports on quarterly earnings. So no matter what negative news the media throws out, the bottom line is what Apple is earning. There are always going to be the liars and miscreants who try to deceive investors from believing in Apple. They're losers. I read those negative articles but I usually doubt those unverified sources. I believe in Apple because the company has more cash and resources than all of its rivals. So far, my belief in the company has paid off. If Buffett is helping to back Apple then that's all the more reason to hold Apple.

gatorguy

claire1 said:

gatorguy said:

SpamSandwich said:

gatorguy said:

claire1 said:

Can we get Google's numbers from the region please?? *Holding in laughter*

Google's Sergey Brin chose to stand on principle and took the company out of China more than a decade ago. Now with Sundar Pichai in charge as CEO there's been some rumors that Google is slowly sliding back in. We'll see if it actually happens, and personally I'd prefer it did not. 

Why? You go to play in China's playground, you play by their rules. Google will become the biggest source of state spying in Chinese history.

Right now the 'biggest source of state spying" as far as big Western techs that would be the Chinese iCloud service, formally owned and controlled by Apple but no longer, correct? 

But I agree on the why. Google took the right stand (IMO) a decade ago and decided the ultimate loss of tens of $B's in revenue was less important than moral principal. I totally get that the world is a different place 12 years on, and Google leaving didn't bring a sea-change to the Chinese governments efforts to control of its citizenry. Still sad to think that money is so terribly important than principals can be tossed aside for more of it. When Western techs roll over chasing Chinese profits it seems like this old exchange:

Lord Beaverbrook of England is talking with a visiting American actress. In a game of hypothetical questions, Beaverbrook asked the lady: ‘Would you live with a stranger (quite politely put as other sources said "sleep") if he paid you one million pounds?’ She said she would. ‘And if he paid you five pounds?’ The irate lady fumed: ‘Five pounds. What do you think I am?’ Beaverbrook replied: ‘We’ve already established that. Now we are trying to determine the degree.”

Right Google has morals like selling user data for profit.

And I thought you knew a lot about the tech world, able to separate FUD from fact. Was I mistaken? If you were being sincere it seems I may have been.

edited August 2018