Apple Loses Prime Phonemaker Spot to Samsung as iPhone Shipments Drop, IDC Says

Apple’s smartphone shipments dropped about 10 p.c within the first quarter of 2024, harm by intensifying competitors by Android smartphone makers aiming for the highest spot, knowledge from analysis agency IDC confirmed on Sunday.

Global smartphone shipments elevated 7.8 p.c to 289.4 million models throughout January-March, with Samsung, at 20.8 p.c market share, clinching the highest phonemaker spot from Apple.

The iPhone-maker’s steep gross sales decline comes after its sturdy efficiency within the December quarter when it overtook Samsung because the world’s No.1 telephone maker. It’s again to the second spot, with 17.3 p.c market share, as Chinese manufacturers equivalent to Huawei acquire market share.

Xiaomi, considered one of China’s prime smartphone makers, occupied the third place with a market share of 14.1 p.c through the first quarter.

South Korea’s Samsung, which launched its newest flagship smartphone lineup – Galaxy S24 sequence – to start with of the yr, shipped greater than 60 million telephones through the interval.

Global gross sales of Galaxy S24 smartphones jumped 8 p.c, in comparison with final yr’s Galaxy S23 sequence throughout their first three weeks of availability, knowledge supplier Counterpoint beforehand stated.

In the primary quarter, Apple shipped 50.1 million iPhones, down from 55.4 million models it shipped similar interval final yr, in line with IDC.

Apple’s smartphone shipments in China shrank 2.1 p.c within the last quarter of 2023 from a yr earlier.

The drop underscores the challenges going through the US agency in its third largest market, as some Chinese corporations and authorities companies restrict workers’ use of Apple gadgets, a measure that mirrors US authorities restrictions on Chinese apps on safety grounds.

The Cupertino, California-based firm in June will maintain its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), the place it is going to spotlight updates to the software program powering iPhones, iPads, and different Apple gadgets.

Investors are intently expecting updates on synthetic intelligence improvement at Apple, which has up to now spoken little about incorporating the AI know-how into its gadgets. The firm earlier this yr misplaced the crown because the world’s most respected firm to Microsoft.

© Thomson Reuters 2024