According to data from research firm IDC released on Sunday, Apple experienced a roughly 10% decline in smartphone shipments during the first quarter of 2024. This decrease was attributed to heightened competition from Android smartphone manufacturers vying for the top position in the market.
During the January-March period, global smartphone shipments saw a 7.8% increase, totaling 289.4 million units. Samsung emerged as the leading phonemaker with a 20.8% market share, surpassing Apple.
Apple’s decline follows a strong performance in the previous quarter, where it briefly held the title of the world’s No.1 phone maker after overtaking Samsung. However, it has now slipped back to second place with a 17.3% market share, partly due to the rise of Chinese brands like Huawei.
Xiaomi, a prominent Chinese smartphone manufacturer, secured the third position with a market share of 14.1% in the first quarter.
Samsung, headquartered in South Korea, shipped over 60 million phones during the period, boosted by the launch of its latest flagship smartphone lineup, the Galaxy S24 series, at the beginning of the year.
Initial data from Counterpoint indicates that global sales of the Galaxy S24 smartphones witnessed an 8% increase compared to the previous year’s Galaxy S23 series within the first three weeks of their release.
In the first quarter, Apple shipped 50.1 million iPhones, down from 55.4 million units shipped during the same period last year, as reported by IDC.
Furthermore, Apple’s smartphone shipments in China experienced a 2.1% decline in the final quarter of 2023 compared to the previous year. This decline reflects the challenges the company faces in its third-largest market, with some Chinese companies and government entities imposing restrictions on the use of Apple devices, similar to U.S. government restrictions on Chinese apps citing security concerns.
Looking ahead, Apple is set to host its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in June, where updates to the software powering iPhones, iPads, and other Apple devices will be highlighted. Investors are particularly interested in any developments related to artificial intelligence (AI) at Apple, as the company has disclosed little about integrating AI technology into its devices. Earlier this year, Apple lost its position as the world’s most valuable company to Microsoft.
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