Apple CEO Tim Cook has minced no words about the importance of China in Apple’s future expansion and growth. While a new deal with China Mobile promises a rise in market share in 2014, new figures from analytics firm IDC show that Apple’s iPhone was already on the up-and-up even before the world’s largest mobile provider started carrying the handset.
In the final quarter of 2013, Apple’s share of the Chinese smartphone market ticked up one point to 7 percent. The movement elevated Apple to fifth place in the country, topping local mobile manufacturer Xiaomi. It’s a far cry from Apple’s strong lead in other markets, but it shows that Chinese consumers, even in a market where smartphone sales have been slowing, are indeed willing to opt for the more expensive iPhone.
In China and other regions including India, Brazil, and Russia, the iPhone faces stiff competition from a deluge of low-cost Android handsets. Apple has been working to win over favor in these territories. Aside from the China Mobile deal, the US company has also reached deals with several major Russian mobile providers that will see the iPhone return to several sales channels in that country.
With 750 million China Mobile subscribers, the release of the iPhone on that network is expected to help Apple sell between 15 and 30 million more handsets in the country during 2014. Data on China’s Q1 2014 smartphone market share will be crucial in determining if Apple’s new strategy is paying off.
[via WSJ]
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