Apple iPhone 6 triggers record-high sales figures: report

Apple’s latest iPhones forever seem to be making headlines, for both good and bad reasons. While news of the iPhone 6’s misaligned front-facing camera are making rounds across the web, a new report shows that the iPhone 6 has catapulted Apple’s profits to put it on course for a record quarter. According to Kantar Worldpanel ComTech, since the launch of the iPhone 6 , Apple’s share in British smartphone sales increased by 10.4 percent. Apple now accounts for 39.5% of British smartphone sales - the highest it has ever earned. Dominic Sunnebo, Director at Kantar Worldpanel ComTech,  said “Apple has experienced a huge jump in sales share across almost all major markets thanks to the launch of the iPhone 6. In major European economies (Britain, Germany, France, Italy and Spain), the US and Australia, Apple’s share of sales has risen. This success is particularly evident in Great Britain where Apple now has its highest ever share of sales with 39.5%. Most of these sales were driven by loyal Apple users. Some 86% of British buyers upgraded from an older iPhone model, only 5% switched across from Samsung.” The report adds that early adopters of the iPhone 6 in Great Britain are typically 16-24 year olds and male. More than half of the buyers chose the iPhone 6 for its 4G capability, while others switched to the latest iPhone for the larger screen size and the design overhaul. Buyers have been increasingly opting to buy iPhones directly from Apple stores than through network partners. This year showed a similar trend. Kantar’s report says that almost a third (31%) of iPhone 6 sales in Great Britain were sold directly through Apple’s retail offer. Also, the iPhone 6 is a lot more popular than the 5.5-inch iPhone 6 Plus. The smaller of the two phones outsold the 6 Plus by a 4:1 ratio. Compared with Great Britain, Apple sales in the US have been rather modest. Sales reportedly grew by 0.7 percent towards October 2014 versus the same period a year ago. In the US, too, the iPhone 6 outsold the iPhone 6 Plus and the ones who picked the iPhone 6 Plus were among the older age group. Overall, the report says, “iPhones made up four out of the five best-selling models over the past three months.” Despite arriving late, Apple’s share in China grew by 0.2 percent, holding 15.7 percent of the total smartphone market share. By October, the iPhone 6 became the third best-selling device in China. However, local brand Xiaomi continues to dominate with its RedMi Note phablet . The Redmi Note was the top selling smartphone in October, bringing Xiaomi’s share of the market to 29.9% over the past three months.