Apple's iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max have been a huge success in China, and it's not because of new AI or camera features - the success is mainly due to the cosmic orange color.
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The cosmic orange shade, available exclusively on Apple's high-end Pro models, has been widely described as "Hermès orange" by Chinese consumers, who associate the intense hue with the signature color of the French luxury house.
The Financial Times reports that videos showcasing the orange iPhones have gone viral on Chinese social media since the products were released in September.
“It sounds simple, but it’s the outwardly obvious design changes, which include the introduction of a bold orange hue, that drove consumers’ early upgrade,” Nabila Popal, senior research director at IDC, told the publication.
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It’s not just visual appeal that drives sales. In Mandarin, the word for orange sounds similar to the word for success, adding another psychological connection that seems to resonate with buyers. Many social media posts about Apple’s premium iPhones include greetings that play on this linguistic connection.
Apple reported $26 billion in revenue from China in its first fiscal quarter, a 38 percent increase year-over-year and the company's best performance in the region. China now accounts for about a fifth of Apple's total global sales.
The results represent a significant rebound after nearly three years of declining sales in the country, where Apple has faced stiff competition from domestic rivals such as Huawei, Xiaomi and Vivo.
See also: iPhone 17 Pro: Apple removed popular Night mode photo feature
For the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max, which are expected to launch in September alongside the company's first foldable device, Apple will almost certainly introduce a new signature color. Rumors suggest that Apple is considering a brown hue that resembles brown, purple, and burgundy.
