Apple reclaims Chinese market by targeting consumers' tastes...Hermes Orange is a hit.

[Financial News]  
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Apple, which had been declining in the Chinese market due to competition from domestic company Huawei, has regained the market with the iPhone 17.
The ‘Hermes Orange’ strategy, which perfectly captured the tastes of the Chinese, has worked.
The iPhone 17 in orange, the symbol of the French luxury brand Hermes, became popular among influencers, and as it became a symbol of wealth, the popularity of the iPhone 17 soared.
This, combined with the smartphone replacement cycle, is analyzed to have caused another iPhone craze.
The Financial Times (FT) reported on the 7th (local time) that Apple has captivated Chinese consumers again with the premium iPhone in ‘Hermes Orange.’
Apple, which had been struggling for several years, increased its sales in China by 38% year-on-year to $26 billion in the fourth quarter of last year, simply by using the orange color, even though it does not have artificial intelligence (AI) functions. It accounted for about 20% of Apple's total sales.
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Apple has drastically revamped the design of the iPhone 17 series.
Unlike other smartphones that have stimulated consumer desires by adding artificial intelligence (AI) functions, Apple, which has fallen behind in the AI ​​competition, paid attention to 'how it looks.'
In particular, the color 'Cosmic Orange' applied by Apple to the iPhone 17 captivated the Chinese people. In China, this color became explosively popular, nicknamed "Hermes Orange" because it resembles the signature color of the French luxury brand Hermes.
Even if the AI ​​function was not innovative, the focus on external changes so that anyone could tell it was a "new product" with a striking color intertwined with the desire to show off among Chinese consumers, creating a sensation.
In particular, the iPhone 17 served as a spearhead for Apple's recapture of the Chinese market, coinciding with the so-called super cycle, the return of large-scale device replacement demand after four years since 2021.
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Orange has the characteristic of being connected to yellow, the color of the emperor, and gold, which symbolizes wealth.
While gold or yellow can easily appear outdated if they are direct, orange maintains the splendor and intensity of gold while providing a much more sophisticated feel, stimulating consumers' desire for "success."
The number has a similar sound to "bal (發)," which means development and wealth. Just as Chinese consumers love the number 8, they also share a passion for the color orange. The Chinese character for orange, "橙" (橙), sounds similar to the Chinese character for success, "成" (成), both of which sound close to "qing" (春) or "layer."
Prominent influencers touted orange iPhones as a symbol of wealth, and the eye-catching color was perfect for satisfying the desire for show. Phrases like "May all your wishes be orange (success)" even trended on social media.
Nabila Popal, a senior research director at market research firm IDC, said that while improvements in camera, chip, and battery performance were key factors, the noticeable design changes also drove demand for iPhone replacements.
Furthermore, consumer complaints about Huawei's proprietary operating system, HarmonyOS, even benefited Apple.
Meanwhile, Apple performed well in the fourth quarter of last year, demonstrating its continued brand power, despite the US-China conflict.
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dympna@fnnews.com Song Kyung-jae Reporter