iPhone top-selling model in India for December quarter: Apple CEO

iPhone was the top-selling model in India, the second-largest smartphone market in the world, for the quarter ended December, according to Apple CEO Tim Cook

“iPhone was the top-selling model in India for the quarter, and it is the second-largest smartphone market in the world and the third-largest for PCs and tablets,” Cook says during a conference call after the iPhone maker announced its quarterly earnings.

“We have great results in a number of emerging markets. And as you know from past calls, I'm particularly keen on India. India set a December quarter record during the quarter, and we're opening more stores there. We've announced that we're going to open four new stores there… There is a huge market and we are we have very modest share in these markets. And so I think there's lots of upside there.,” says Cook.

Apple chief financial officer Kevan Parekh mentioned Indian food delivery startup Zomato during the call, saying “a leading food ordering and delivery company in India, has deployed thousands of Macs across their workforce to foster innovation.”

In May 2024, Cook had said that Apple is making iPhones in India to be competitive. “I see it as an incredibly exciting market and it's a major focus for us. In terms of the operational side or supply chain side, we are producing there, from a pragmatic point of view, you need to produce there to be competitive,” Cook had said.

Apple’s revenue rose 4% year-on-year to $124.3 billion for the October-December quarter. Earnings per share were $2.40.

Global smartphone shipments increased 2.4% year-over-year to 331.7 million units in the last quarter of calendar year 2024, according to IDC. This marks the sixth consecutive quarter of shipment growth, closing the whole year with 6.4% growth and 1.24 billion shipments, marking a strong recovery after two challenging years of decline, the market research firm says.