Apple’s share of the Chinese smartphone market has hit an all time high owing to a strong demand for Cupertino’s recently launched iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus smartphones, new research claims.
According to a new market research report compiled by Kantar Worldpanel ComTech, published Thursday, Apple grabbed a record 27.6 percent share of the smartphone market in China during a three-month period ending in February. The iPhone 6 held the title of best-selling smartphone in urban China, with a 10.2 percent share, up from 9.5 percent for the prior three months, followed by Xiaomi Inc.’s RedMI Note and the 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,” Kantar Worldpanel research chief Carolina Milanesi said in a statement.
“China Mobile’s subscribers accounted for 59 percent of the 27.6 percent volume share recorded by iOS in the latest period.”
Elsewhere, Apple’s smartphone market share climbed by 2.9 points in France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK, while Android’s share fell by the same amount over the three months ended in February. Even so Android still managed to remain ahead of iOS in the region with a share of 67.6 percent.
In the U.S. the scenario, however, was a bit different where the iPhone’s market share dropped to 38.8 percent by the end of February, compared with 39.3 percent in the same period a year earlier. Despite a drop in market share, the iPhone 6 model remained the best seller among smartphones in the country.
