Apple's fourth-quarter financial report showed that there are more than 2.2 billion active devices in use in its product lineup, which is a major driving force for Apple's continued success in the services field. Driving these numbers was the iPhone 15 range, which achieved an astonishing 99% customer satisfaction rate and topped the sales chart in all markets, including four of the five best-selling models in the US, four of the six best-selling models in the UK and all five in Australia.
The iPhone 15 upgrade also hit a record high, with sales of the iPhone 15 series increasing by 6% compared with the fourth quarter of last year. It broke sales records in major regions of Europe and Asia-Pacific. Tim Cook said that "iPhone15 sales exceeded iPhone14", which shows that iPhone is becoming more and more popular and active devices are also growing.
2.2 billion active devices means nearly 400 million more devices than last year, when the active user base was 1.8 billion devices. This jump in the user base is the most significant in the past few years, as only 150 million devices will be added in 2023, and only 150 million devices will be added in 2022.
To put that into perspective, the number of active devices last year was 1.8 billion, an increase of 150 million. However, revenue from the iPhone user base was $76.1 billion, compared with $69.7 billion this year.
Tim Cook's confidence in the new "high water mark" installed base comes from their confidence in the iPhone's growing influence in all markets. In fact, we reported in August that despite an overall decline in smartphone sales, the iPhone was the only model growing, contributing to new highs.
Despite the tablet setback, Apple announced strong performance for the Mac, with nearly half of sales coming from new users to the Mac ecosystem. Likewise, wearable device sales are down compared to last year, and Apple Watch Ultra 2 and Series 9 models still face legal uncertainty.
In addition, the iPhone continues to rise rapidly in emerging markets such as China and India, and the current product lineup makes it more popular among younger users. In these markets, young users regard the iPhone as a status symbol and a sign of superior quality to other products.