Apple sought to allay concerns about its position in the Chinese smartphone market on Thursday by reporting strong demand for its iPhones. In an interview with Reuters, Chief Executive Tim Cook stated, “In mainland China, we set a quarterly record for the September quarter for iPhone.” He also noted that Apple’s smartphones occupied four out of the top five spots in urban China’s best-sellers list.
Despite potential contractions in the overall smartphone market, Apple appears to have increased its market share in China during the July-September period. Cook expressed confidence in Apple’s ability to sell more iPhones in the upcoming holiday quarter, even though this year’s quarter has one fewer week of sales compared to the previous year.
According to research firm Canalys, the broader Chinese smartphone market saw a 3% decline in sales from July to September compared to the previous year. This drop was less pronounced than in previous quarters, indicating an easing of the market’s slump. Canalys reported that iPhone sales in China decreased by 6%.
