Apple shines on booming China sales

New York

APPLE shined last quarter as boss Tim Cook dished up a Chinese feast. The technology giant overcame a strong dollar and stiff competition from rival Samsung in the Middle Kingdom, helping it to first-quarter iPhone sales of a record 74 million worldwide. The company also tallied revenue growth of 30 per cent and earnings of US$18 billion. With the Apple watch near its debut and Apple Pay doing well, Mr Cook may have found a recipe to rival late founder Steve Jobs's success.

Booming phone sales in China were expected, but even the most bullish analysts were caught off guard by the numbers. Apple's revenue rose 70 per cent in China last quarter compared with the same period a year earlier. It's now the top smartphone vendor in China, according to data firm Canalys, and the country accounts for more than a fifth of its revenue overall.