apple smartphone Shipments fell by about 10% in the first quarter of 2024, hurt by increased competition from Android smartphone makers vying for the top spot, data from research firm IDC showed on Sunday.
Global smartphone shipments rose 7.8% from January to March to 289.4 million units, with Samsung gaining 20.8% market share and taking the top spot among mobile phone manufacturers from Apple.
The iPhone maker's sharp decline in sales comes after a strong performance in the December quarter in which the company overtook Samsung as the world's leading mobile phone maker. It returned to second place with a market share of 17.3%, as Chinese brands such as Huawei increased their market share.
Xiaomi, one of China's top smartphone manufacturers, occupied third place with a market share of 14.1% in the first quarter.
South Korea's Samsung launched its latest flagship smartphone lineup, the Galaxy S24 series, at the beginning of the year, and shipped over 60 million phones during the same period.
Data provider Counterpoint previously announced that global sales of Galaxy S24 smartphones increased by 8% in the first three weeks of launch compared to last year's Galaxy S23 series.
Apple shipped 50.1 million iPhones in the first quarter, down from 55.4 million in the same period last year, according to IDC. Apple's smartphone shipments in China decreased by 2.1% in the final quarter of 2023 compared to the same period last year.
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The decline comes as some Chinese companies and government agencies restrict the use of Apple devices by their employees, a move that reflects U.S. government restrictions on Chinese-made apps for security reasons, making it the third-largest It highlights the challenges facing U.S. companies in the market.
The Cupertino, Calif.-based company will hold a Worldwide Developers Conference in June that will focus on updates to the software that powers iPhones, iPads and other devices.
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Investors have been watching for updates on Apple's artificial intelligence developments, but the company has so far said little about incorporating AI technology into its devices. The company lost its title as the world's most valuable company to Microsoft earlier this year. — Mirinmay Day, (c) 2024 Reuters