Taiwan's export orders, an early indicator of actual exports, were at their strongest in 17 months in June. Industrial production in June, released Wednesday, was up 8.6% on year, above expectations, led by double-digit gains in semiconductor output, which some analysts put down to increased Taiwanese supply to Apple.
Paul Vigna and analyst Walter Piecyk break down Apple's earnings, and Ira Iosebashvili looks at the wavering price of gold.
"The jump of the output of semiconductors is 100% related to the iPhone launch," said Masterlink Investment Advisory economist Anita Hsu.
The region's iPhone bonanza shows why Apple is such an important presence in Asia. Few single tech manufacturers control such production volume.