Apple's Market Share In China Drops To Just 5 Percent In Q2 2013
by Joe White
August 10, 2013
In the second quarter of 2013, Apple's share of the Chinese smartphone market fell to just five percent, according to data published recently by Canalys.
The research, which reached us from Bloomberg, means that over the course of one year the Cupertino, Calif. company has lost four percent of its share of the smartphone market in China. In the second quarter of 2012, Apple accounted for nine percent of smartphone sales in the country.
One problem presently facing Apple is the availability of low-cost Android-powered smartphones in China, India, and elsewhere. Capturing market share is therefore a problem for the company, since less expensive alternatives manufactured by the likes of Lenovo, ZTE, and Xiaomi are dissuading consumers from paying more and purchasing an iPhone.
As such, Apple's anticipated low-cost "iPhone 5C" can't come quick enough. Once available, it's expected that the company will have a better chance of regaining lost marketshare both overseas and in the United States. Nicole Peng, Canalys's China research director, said as much to Bloomberg:
Apple is only focused on the high-end segment, and China’s smartphone market growth right now is coming from the mid- to low-end. Apple doesn’t have any products in the mid- to low-end and that’s where Xiaomi has been building their brand awareness.Apple's long-rumored "budget" handset is expected to launch later this year. We'll keep you updated with further information concerning the anticipated iPhone as we receive it. In the meantime, for more "iPhone 5C" related news, see: Could This Be What Apple's Low-Cost "iPhone 5C" Will Look Like?, The Resale Value Of The iPhone 4 Jumps As Its Retirement Nears, and By 2014, Sales Of The Budget iPhone Could Overtake Those Of The "iPhone 5S".
