Same Same, but Different
Apple achieved its highest-ever quarterly figures in the fourth quarter of last year, thanks to the huge popularity of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6+. Consequently, it became the top-ranked smartphone maker in the world in Q4 2014, along with Samsung Electronics.
According to data released by market research firm Strategy Analytics on Jan. 29, Samsung and Apple each sold 74.5 million smartphones in Q4 2014, each taking up 19.6 percent of the global market. Therefore they both ranked first at the same time.
However, the number one title has different meanings for the two companies.
The Korean tech giant sold 86 million smartphones in Q4 2013, but the number decreased by 11.5 million units one year later. In contrast, the sales volume of the iPhone models went up by 23.5 million units from the previous year. Samsung's share decreased 10 percent year-on-year to reach 19.6 percent in Q4 2014, whereas Apple's share climbed 2 percent year-on-year to reach the same number. As Samsung struggled in the global smartphone market, Apple increased its share.
A representative of Strategy Analytics remarked, “As Apple's iPhone 6 and iPhone 6+ were hugely popular in China, the U.S., and Europe, it became the world's largest smartphone manufacturer in Q4 2014, for the first time after Q4 2011, together with Samsung.” The official added, “On the other hand, Samsung is fiercely competing with Apple in the premium phone market, and with other companies like Huawei and Xiaomi in the mid to low-end market.”
Lenovo, which purchased Motorola, sold 24.7 million units during the period, which put the firm in third place, followed by Huawei with 24.10 million units.
The size of the global smartphone market was estimated at 1.2835 billion units last year, a year-on-year growth of 29.6 percent. An increased demand for smartphones in emerging markets such as China, India, and Africa is widely acknowledged to have led market growth in 2014. Samsung comprised 24.7 percent of the market last year, and Apple at 15 percent.