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Apple’s market share in urban China fell for the first time since 2014 as local brands bite

Shopping analytics giant Kantar Worldpanel reports that Apple’s smartphone has experienced its first fall in market share in urban China since 2014.

“For the first time since August 2014, iOS share did not grow in urban China in the 3 months ending February,” said Tamsin Timpson, strategic insight director at Kantar Worldpanel ComTech Asia. “iOS declined 3.2 percentage points between February 2015 and February 2016.”

Kantar said that the increasing popularity of local smartphone brands was the main reason for the fall …

Huawei was able to recapture the top spot on the Smartphone brand leader board, capturing 24.4% of Smartphones sold in urban China, just ahead of Apple’s 22.2% […]

Up-and-coming local brands Meizu and Oppo both showed strong year-on-year growth, each capturing about 6% of smartphone sales.

Kantar does, though, believe that the iPhone SE has the potential to reverse the drop, offering an appealing option for those Android owners who would prefer an iPhone but have been constrained by the high purchase cost.

There are also significant numbers of potential buyers, particularly in China, who may not be able to afford the high price of a flagship iPhone but may find that the iPhone SE lets them take their first step into the Apple ecosystem.

There have been mixed early reports on how the SE is faring, some sources reporting that the new 4-inch phone is popular in China, while others are less convinced. In the U.S. at least, it does seem to be attracting Android users.

Photo: Chance Chan/China-Tech/Reuters

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Comments

  1. patthecarnut - 8 years ago

    “as local brands bite” and the Chinese black market counterfeits them and floods the market with knock-offs.

  2. rogifan - 8 years ago

    Based on what? Where are they getting their data from? I highly doubt Apple is sharing sales data with them.

    • Ben Lovejoy - 8 years ago

      They capture purchase data from millions of people.

      • Michael Breed - 8 years ago

        No they don’t. They’re using number of units shipped, not purchased by customers.

    • Aunty T (@AuntyTroll) - 8 years ago

      Interesting isn’t it that whenever Kantar publish reports saying the market share is increasing their word is taken as gospel, yet once they publish a report saying it is declining they don’t know what they are on about.

      As you rightly say, it’s unlikely Apple do share sales data with them, which is the reason why reports from “analysts” – good or bad – should be taken with a pinch of salt, because frankly they don’t have a clue.

  3. markm49 - 8 years ago

    Ben. They have NO idea whether Apples share increased, decreased or stayed the same. Stop printing these ridiculous speculative analyst reports based on nothing – they are simply manipulating the markets for their clients.

  4. Michael Breed - 8 years ago

    Kantar only reports shipped units, not purchased ones. That’s not a true reflection of market share. Actual customer purchased units would be such… and Kantar doesn’t report that.

Author

Avatar for Ben Lovejoy Ben Lovejoy

Ben Lovejoy is a British technology writer and EU Editor for 9to5Mac. He’s known for his op-eds and diary pieces, exploring his experience of Apple products over time, for a more rounded review. He also writes fiction, with two technothriller novels, a couple of SF shorts and a rom-com!


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