Apple's Phone Sales Drop 10% In The First Quarter Of 2024, Samsung Strengthens

IPhone 15 sellers decreased in the first quarter of 2024. (photoL x @fresk0_)

JAKARTA - Data from research firm IDC released on Sunday, April 14, shows that Apple's smartphone sales fell by around 10% in the first quarter of 2024. This is due to the increasingly intense competition from Android smartphone manufacturers who want to occupy the top position of the world mobile market.

Global smartphone sales increased 7.8% to 289.4 million units during January-March, where Samsung controlled a market share of 20.8%. This South Korean mobile phone manufacturer won the top position as a mobile phone manufacturer from Apple.

The sharp decline in iPhone sales came after its strong performance in the December quarter when Apple outperformed Samsung as the world's number one mobile phone manufacturer. However, now back to second place, with a market share of 17.3%, as Chinese brands such as Huawei spread on the market.

Xiaomi, one of China's leading smartphone manufacturers, now occupies third place with a market share of 14.1% during the first quarter.

Samsung, from South Korea, which launched its newest flagship smartphone line - the Galaxy S24 series - at the beginning of the year, had sold more than 60 million cell phones during that period.

The global sale of the Galaxy S24 smartphone jumped 8%, compared to the Galaxy S23 series last year, during its first three weeks of availability, said the Counterpoint data provider.

In the first quarter, Apple sold 50.1 million iPhones, down from 55.4 million units shipped in the same period last year, according to IDC.

The decline highlights the challenges US companies face in their third-largest market, when some Chinese companies and government agencies limit the use of Apple devices by employees, a move that reflects the US government's restrictions on Chinese applications for security reasons.

The Cupertino-based California company will hold a Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in June, where they will highlight software updates that power iPhones, iPads, and other Apple devices.

Investors are closely awaiting updates on the development of artificial intelligence at Apple, which has so far little talk of integrating artificial intelligence technology into its devices. The company earlier this year lost its title as the world's largest company after losing to Microsoft.