Months before Apple releases a new iPhone, Duyen’s bank account is already prepared. “I consider myself a tech person, and I particularly am an Apple person,” she said. Duyen works as a web animator and part-time English tutor to Vietnamese and Korean kids.
When asked about how she manages to save money every time there’s a new iPhone, she responded, “Although people think I have a relatively high income, I still have to save up and sacrifice a few things and trips for my finances to meet my gadget demands.” To her, it’s a need and not a want. It’s how she “keeps her ideas refreshed and updated.”
As for Tony, a university student who is also teaching English to kids, getting his hand on the latest iPhone model is “more of a want” and serves as bragging rights among his peers.
“I get a weekly allowance from my parents because I’m still a student,” he said. “So there’s that and my side hustle keeps me financially able to afford the latest iPhones in the market.”
Duyen and Tony are just two of the hardcore followers and users of iPhones in Vietnam. Hardcore in the sense that they keep up, within the week of the release, with the latest iPhone models Apple releases.
Read: Apple Is The Most Popular Smartphone Brand In Vietnam. Here Are 5 Reasons
Not only is Vietnam the most important Apple production hub outside of China, producing a range of flagship products, but the iPhone sales in the country were also said to be “particularly impressive,” according to its CFO in an interview with Times of India.
Luca Maestri said they set September quarter records in the vast majority of markets they tracked. “And our performance was particularly impressive in several large emerging markets, with India setting a new all-time revenue record and Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, and Mexico more than doubling year over year,” the CFO added.
Apple’s financial fourth quarter ended when iPhone 14 was just launched. And if you’re curious, yes, both Duyen and Tony own brand-new iPhone 14 units, complete with accessories.
For this quarter alone, iPhone recorded a revenue of US$90.1 billion and a profit of $20.7 billion from large emerging markets, that includes Vietnam. As for the full fiscal year, Apple’s revenue went up to $394.3 billion, that’s an 8% jump from the previous year.
Tim Cook, Apple CEO was quoted saying, “Across nearly every geographic segment, we reached a new revenue record for the quarter.”
In Vietnam, Vietnamese retailers FPT Shop, The Gioi Di Dong, and CellphoneS reported whopping digits in iPhone sales (actual numbers weren’t broadcasted), specifically the iPhone 13 Pro Max that’s worth VND30 million ($1200). The local distributors said the off-season promotions to clear the stocks prior to the launch of iPhone 14 helped a lot even during the Q2 and Q3 of the year.
While experts say the iPhone 14 continues to sell well, Apple is aware of the issues because the production of iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max models couldn’t keep up with the market demand, regardless of the location.