Dive Brief:

• Apple has followed up its recording-setting debut of its iPhone 6 last year with its report Monday that sales of the phones remain brisk, sending revenue up more than $29 billion year over year since its launch six months ago. 

• The larger screened model is leading sales, boosting sales of all phones to 61.2 million phones in the quarter ended March 28, up 40% year over year, and a 72% increase in sales in China. Gross margin, the percentage of revenue the company retains after manufacturing costs, was 40.8%, above the company’s estimated of 38.5% to 39.5%.

• The big boost in sales is not due to discounting — the average selling price of an iPhone 6 actually rose last quarter by more than $60 compared to a year ago. Meanwhile, CEO Tim Cook didn’t say much about sales of the Apple Watch, which launched Friday. 

Dive Insight:

The Apple 6 is sort of CEO Tim Cook’s baby, its larger screened version a departure from a previous decision to stay smaller. It looks like the phones are taking hold across the globe, moving beyond early adopters and stealing more market share from rivals, all at a higher average price than at their launch.

Indeed Cook told the Wall Street Journal that the company is seeing a “higher rate of switchers than previous iPhone cycles.”