Apple loses world's top smartphone maker spot to Samsung as iPhone shipments drop, IDC says
- Global smartphone shipments rose 7.8 per cent to 289.4 million units during the January-March period, led by Samsung Electronics' 20.8 per cent market share
- Apple is back at second spot, with 17.3 per cent market share, as Chinese handset vendors such as Huawei and Xiaomi gain ground
Apple’s smartphone shipments dropped about 10 per cent in the first quarter of 2024, hurt by intensifying global competition from Android handset makers aiming for the top spot, data from research firm IDC showed on Sunday.
Global smartphone shipments increased 7.8 per cent to 289.4 million units during the January-March period, with Samsung Electronics' 20.8 per cent market share clinching the top vendor spot from Apple.
The iPhone-maker’s steep sales decline comes after its strong performance in the December quarter, when it overtook Samsung as the world’s No 1 smartphone maker. It is back to the second spot, with 17.3 per cent market share, as Chinese brands such as Huawei Technologies gained market share.
Xiaomi, one of China’s top smartphone makers, occupied the third position with a market share of 14.1 per cent during the first quarter.
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South Korea’s Samsung, which launched its latest flagship smartphone line-up – the Galaxy S24 series – in the beginning of the year, shipped more than 60 million handsets during the period.
Global sales of Galaxy S24 smartphones jumped 8 per cent, compared to last year’s Galaxy S23 series during their first three weeks of availability, data provider Counterpoint previously said.
In the first quarter, Apple shipped 50.1 million iPhones, down from 55.4 million units it shipped same period last year, according to IDC.
Apple’s iPhone shipments in China shrank 2.1 per cent in the final quarter of 2023 from a year earlier.
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That drop underscores the challenges facing the US tech giant in its third biggest market, as some Chinese companies and government agencies limit employees’ use of Apple devices, a measure that mirrors US government restrictions on Chinese apps on security grounds.
Cupertino, California-based Apple in June will hold its Worldwide Developers Conference, where it will highlight updates to the software powering iPhones, iPads and its other devices.
Investors are closely watching for updates on artificial intelligence (AI) development at Apple, which has so far spoken little about incorporating the technology into its devices. The company earlier this year lost the crown as the world’s most valuable company to Microsoft, which is a major investor in ChatGPT creator OpenAI.
