For all the new products, services, and technologies, investors are really focused on two metrics as it relates to Apple (AAPL -0.81%): iPhone units and China sales. And that makes sense, over the past four quarters, the company's signature product has now been responsible for over 60% of its total revenue for over the past four quarters. The company went as far as listing its reliance to a single product as a potential risk in the company's third-quarter report.
And when it comes to iPhone growth, the company is doing well. In the recently reported fourth fiscal quarter, Apple reported $32.21 billion in iPhone revenue with unit sales of 48 million. As opposed to last year's corresponding quarter, those figures are up 36% and 22%, respectively, leading the company to an earnings-per-share figure of $1.96, up 38% from last-year's figure.
For China, however, Apple continues to execute. Taking advantage of perhaps the last easy year-on-year comparison, Apple reported yet another huge year-on-year growth figure in the Middle Kingdom.
China keeps growing
On a year-on-year basis, China keeps enriching Apple investors. Here's a representation of China's increasing reliance to Apple's top line:
If there was one slightly negative factor in Apple's China result, however, it has to be the sequential figure. Oddly enough, and uncharacteristic of Apple's overall result, Cupertino saw its Greater China revenue drop when compared with last quarter -- although it was only a 5% drop. There doesn't appear to be a difference in seasonality or culture that would justify a sequential revenue drop. Recently Samsung reported its first year-on-year operating profit in roughly two years during its third-quarter earnings report -- but the growth wasn't due to strong performance in its mobile division, but rather from the company's semiconductors business as competition from Apple and Huawei have hit Samsung's mobile business in the Middle Kingdom.