Apple’s market share in China started climbing even before China Mobile deal, show IDC figures

Apple’s market share in China started climbing even before China Mobile deal, show IDC figures:

Photo: readwrite.com

While smartphone growth is slowing in China, Apple managed to increase its market share from 6 to 7 percent in the final quarter of 2013, even before the China Mobile deal was struck. IDC figures reported by the WSJ show that Apple is now the fifth largest smartphone seller in the country, behind Samsung, Lenovo, Coolpad and Huawei. Xiaomi sits just behind Apple at 6 percent.

Apple’s share is likely to increase significantly in the current quarter, thanks to finally being sold through China’s largest carrier, China Mobile. The carrier has more than 760M subscribers, and analysts have estimated that the deal will generate between 15M and 30M additional iPhone sales in the course of 2014.

Apple’s focus is, of course, the top end of the market – it is never going to compete with the low-end Android handsets available from both local suppliers and market leader Samsung. In an earlier WSJ interview, Tim Cook said:

I look at the mobile phone market as having three kinds of phones: feature phones, smartphones that function as or are used as feature phones, and real smartphones. I do care about the market share of the last category and you want to be relevant.

Even by Q1 of last year, Apple’s Asian sales had outstripped those of Europe. Next quarter’s China numbers are going to make very interesting reading.

Filed under: AAPL Company, iOS Devices Tagged: Apple, Apple in China, china, China Mobile, Coolpad, Huawei, International Data Corporation, iPhone, Samsung

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