Market Share Drops from 1st to 3rd Due to Competition from Chinese Manufacturers
Apple iPhone sales in the Chinese market declined by 19% in the first quarter of this year.
On the 22nd, Bloomberg News cited data from Counterpoint Research, reporting that iPhone sales in China decreased, resulting in the worst performance since the outbreak of COVID-19 in 2020.
On the 13th, the official domestic release date of the iPhone 15 series, customers are experiencing the products at the Apple Store Myeongdong in Jung-gu, Seoul. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@
Apple's market share also fell from 19.7% a year ago to 15.7%. It slipped to third place, yielding ground to Vivo and Honor.
Unlike the iPhone, Huawei's sales increased by about 70%. Its market share jumped from 9.3% to 15.5%.
The Chinese smartphone market grew by approximately 1.5% in the first quarter of this year.
The first quarter includes the Chinese Lunar New Year holiday, traditionally a period of sharp consumption increase. Additionally, Apple unusually offered discounts in January to boost sales. Despite this, sales declined.
Bloomberg News stated, "China remains one of Apple's largest markets, but business has become more difficult as China expands its ban on foreign equipment use in state-owned enterprises and government agencies. Consumers have also welcomed Huawei's revival after it avoided U.S. sanctions on advanced semiconductors by using domestically produced Chinese chips."
Ivan Lam, Senior Analyst at Counterpoint, explained, "Huawei's return in the premium device segment directly impacted Apple, causing weak Apple sales during this quarter. Moreover, iPhone replacement demand was somewhat subdued compared to previous years."
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