According to data released by consultancy firm IDC and reported by Reuters, Apple saw its smartphone sales fall by around 10% during the first quarter of 2024: it sold a total of 50.1 million units, a sharp drop from the 55.4 million sold in the same period of 2023.
Apple's market share fell to 17.3%, largely thanks to the growth of Android in brands such as Huawei, Xiaomi and, of course, Samsung, which benefited the most.
The tech giant recorded a 7.8% increase in sales, reaching a total of 60 million units sold in the first quarter of the year. Its market share rose to 20.8%. From January to March, it sold 289.4 million units.
In third place is another Chinese tech giant, Xiaomi, which has consolidated its position as one of the leading smartphone manufacturers with a market share of 14.1%.
And it was from China, Apple's third largest market, that the US company's difficulties came. Sales in the Asian country fell by 2.1% at the end of 2023 and the trend has yet to be reversed. The fall in the Chinese market is due not so much to pressure from Xiaomi and Huawei, but largely to restrictions imposed by some Chinese companies and government agencies, which limit the use of Apple devices by their employees.
