KUALA LUMPUR – Apple’s smartphone shipments dropped by approximately 10% in the first quarter of 2024, owing to increased competition from Android smartphone makers vying for the top spot, according to data released by research firm IDC yesterday.
Global smartphone shipments increased by 7.8% to 289.4 million units in January to March, with Samsung overtaking Apple as the leading phonemaker with a 20.8% market share, Reuters reported.
The iPhone maker’s sharp sales decline follows a strong performance in the December quarter, when it surpassed Samsung as the world’s number one phonemaker. It has returned to second place, with 17.3% of the market, as Chinese brands such as Huawei gain market share.
Xiaomi, one of China’s leading smartphone manufacturers, ranked third with a 14.1% market share in the first quarter.
South Korea’s Samsung, which launched its latest flagship smartphone line-up, the Galaxy S24 series, at the beginning of the year, shipped more than 60 million phones during the period.
Global sales of Galaxy S24 smartphones jumped 8% 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 the 55.4 million units it shipped in the same period last year, according to IDC.
Apple’s smartphone shipments in China shrank 2.1% in the final quarter of 2023 from a year earlier.
The drop highlights the challenges that the United States firm faces in its third largest market, as some Chinese companies and government agencies limit employees’ use of Apple devices, a measure that mirrors US government restrictions on Chinese apps for security reasons.
The Cupertino, California-based company will hold its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in June, where it will highlight updates to the software that powers iPhones, iPads, and other Apple devices.
Investors are closely watching for updates on artificial intelligence development at Apple, which has so far spoken little about incorporating AI technology into its devices.
The company earlier this year lost the crown as the world’s most valuable company to Microsoft. – April 15, 2024