China iPhone sales strong, Apple tells investors as Huawei threat looms

Apple said on Thursday that demand for its iPhones in China was strong, trying to reassure investors who are worried it is losing ground to a newly resurgent Huawei Technologies and other local smartphone makers.

“In mainland China, we set a quarterly record for the September quarter for iPhone,” Chief Executive Tim Cook told Reuters in an interview. “We had four out of the top five best-selling smartphones in urban China.”

Apple appeared to have gained market share in China in the July-September period, even if the overall smartphone market may have contracted, he said on a conference call with analysts.