Apple’s smartphone sales fell by around 10% in the first quarter of 2024 due to stronger competition from Android smartphone makers vying for the top spot, according to statistics released by research firm IDC on Sunday.
Global smartphone shipments rose 7.8 percent to 289.4 million devices between January and March, with Samsung overtaking Apple as the top phone maker with a 20.8 percent share.
A significant decline in sales for the iPhone maker has overtaken Samsung as the world’s largest phone maker. With a market share of 17.3%, it returned to second place as Chinese companies such as Huawei increased their market share.
Xiaomi, one of the leading smartphone manufacturers in China, ranked third in the first quarter with a market share of 14.1 percent.
South Korean company Samsung shipped more than 60 million phones earlier this year with its latest flagship smartphone line, the Galaxy S24.
According to data source Counterpoint, in the first three weeks of the Galaxy S24 series, global sales of smartphones increased by 8 percent compared to last year’s Galaxy S23 series.
IDC said Apple shipped 50.1 million iPhones in the first quarter, compared with 55.4 million units in the same period last year.
Compared to a year ago, Apple’s smartphone shipments to China fell 2.1% in the final quarter of 2023.
The decline reflects the difficulties faced by some Chinese businesses and government agencies in the US company’s third-largest market, which have banned employees from accessing Apple devices. The practice is similar to the US government’s ban on Chinese software over security concerns.
At the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in June, the Cupertino, California-based company will show software updates for the iPhone, iPad, and other Apple products.
Investors are keeping an eye on Apple’s artificial intelligence research because the company has yet to reveal much about how it plans to integrate AI technology into its products.
Earlier this year, Microsoft overtook the company to be named the most valuable company in the world.
