Edible Apple

An increasing amount of Apple’s income is derived from China, and while the bulk of those revenues come from iPhone, iPad, and iPod sales, Mac sales there are growing tremendously and are even outpacing Mac sales growth here in the US, according to a recent research note from analyst Ben A Reitzes of Barclays Capital.

“We believe Mac sales remain relatively strong even as the economy weakens, benefiting from new stores in China and strong sales of the MacBook Air,” Reitzes explained. “Even though the economy and HDD shortages are concerns that could limit upside, we remain comfortable with our estimate for 22% (year over year) Mac unit growth for (the fourth quarter of calendar 2011) given overseas momentum — especially in China where growth is much higher.”

Apple of course isn’t shy about how important China is towards their continued growth. Indeed, during an earnings conference call this past August, Apple CEO Tim Cook said that the company hadn’t even scratched the surface with respect to sales in China. And with rumors continuing to point towards the iPhone landing on China Mobile – the largest cell carrier on the planet – Apple’s revenue there may be on the cusp of exploding.

Lastly, Reitzes anticipates that Apple’s Mac sales for the December quarter – the results of which will be released on Tuesday – will be higher than expected due to strong Mac sales in China.

via AppleInsider