Earlier today, Apple announced its financial results for its fiscal 2015 first quarter that ended in 27 December 2014. The company reports US$74.6 billion in revenue earning and US$18 billion in profit in the past 3 months. If you’re not familiar with the numbers, it’s very, very impressive, and it’s mainly thanks to iPhone sales, as well as its performance in China.
So, how does the numbers compare to the same quarter last year? The revenue increased by almost 30% year-on-year, while net profit increased by over 37% compared with the year-ago quarter.
The success is made possible by all-time record revenue from iPhone and Mac sales, as well as record performance on the App Store. Apple sold 74.4 million units of iPhone, 21.4 million units of iPads, 5.5 million units of Mac, US$4.7 billion on the iTunes store, and US$2.6 billion in accessories.
Of course, Apple has China to thank for its success too. While the Cupertino company did not break down the numbers, it said that international sales accounted for 65% of the quarter’s revenue. According to the latest report by Canalys, Apple is now the top smartphone vendor in China, for the first time ever.
According to Canalys, thanks to the popularity of iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus in China in Q4 2014, Apple is now the top smartphone vendor for the first time based on units shipped. With bigger screens, the ability to connect to LTE networks in China, as well as strong clampdown on grey exports of its products out of Hong Kong, these have definitely helped the company achieve its position in one of the biggest smartphone market in the world. Xiaomi, Samsung and Huawei take the second, third and fourth place respectively.
Will Apple be able to hold its position for the rest of the year? With Apple Watch scheduled for April, it won’t be surprising that they will do well.
