Apple Loses China Smartphone Market Share to Cheaper Models
This article is for subscribers only.
Apple Inc.’s share of China’s smartphone market was cut by almost half in the second quarter as consumers opted for lower-priced handsets from domestic suppliers such as Xiaomi Corp.
The Cupertino, California-based company’s smartphone shipments in China fell to 5 percent of the total in the second quarter from 9 percent a year earlier, Nicole Peng, the China research director for Canalys, said in phone interview today. That is Apple’s lowest market share since the fourth quarter of 2010, according to estimates from Canalys. Samsung Electronics Co. held the top spot with 18 percent share.