Apple takes a bite out of Xiaomi's smartphone market share in China

Apple’s iOS continues to strengthen its hold in the Chinese market post the launch of the company’s latest iPhones - iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. According to a recent report, the latest smartphone sales for three months ending in February this year shows how iOS sales claimed 27.6 percent of the smartphone market in urban China, compared to the 25 percent in the November - January period. According to  Kantar Worldpanel, the iPhone 6 continues to be the top-selling smartphone in urban China during the three months ending in February, as it claimed 10.2 percent of the market, up from 9.5 percent in the three months ending in January. In second place was the Xiaomi Redmi Note and in third place, followed Apple’s iPhone 6 Plus. “There has been a strong appetite for Apple’s products in urban China seen since the launch of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus and this has continued into Chinese New Year,” claims Kantar researcher Carolina Milanesi. The company’s overall share has increased by 9.7 percentage points year-over-year, surpassing China’s homegrown brand Xiaomi, for the very first time. Even though the iOS market share in the US has been 38.8 percent, a slight drop from its 39.3 percent market share in the same period last year, Apple’s iPhone 6 still remains the best selling smartphone in the country. The report also pointed out that the key-purchasing drivers for consumers was the iPhone 6’s screen size, LTE capability and the reliability along with its durability of the device. On the other hand, the screen size was the motivating factor behind purchasing the iPhone 6 Plus. On the other hand, iOS competitor Android’s share had declined across Europe by 2.9 percentage points year-on-year to 67.6 percent while iOS rose by 2.9 percentage points.  Dominic Sunnebo, business unit director at Kantar Worldpanel ComTech Europe stated that, “In Great Britain, as Samsung prepared the channel for the arrival of the new flagships Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge, sales of the Galaxy S5 grew slightly over the previous period and captured 8.7 percent of smartphone sales keeping this model as the second best selling smartphone after the iPhone 6”. Apple sales have been immune to lower cost rivals, mentions Forbes. It also stated that the Cupertino giant is the premium product in China and will likely continue marketing itself that way despite Xiaomi’s rapid ascension.