An expanded number of models and a new look for the iPhone
12 lineup, Apple's first 5G-enabled devices, tapped pent up demand for
upgrades, especially in China.
Shipments hit 90.1 million phones, a record for any quarter,
giving it global market share of 23.4%, data from research firm IDC showed.
"In China, Apple seized the perfect opportunity to
capture Huawei's market share in the high end, when the latter has essentially
not enough supply even though demand for the brand is still there," said
Nicole Peng, who tracks China's smartphone market at Canalys.
The data comes on the heels of Apple reporting record
holiday quarter sales on Wednesday, with overall revenue crossing $100 billion
for the first time. Revenue in Greater China, which includes Hong Kong and
Taiwan, surged 57%.
For a graphic on Apple's iPhone business rakes in record sales:
"We had two of the top three selling smartphones in
urban China," Chief Executive Tim Cook told Reuters in an interview,
adding that upgraders in particular had set an all-time record in China.
As is often the case in the fourth quarter when it launches
new products, Apple took the top spot from Samsung Electronics. The South
Korean firm saw a 6.2% year-on-year increase to 73.9 million devices, giving it
market share of 19.1%.
Huawei Technologies Co Ltd, unsurprisingly, suffered the
most pain, with shipments tumbling a record 42.4% to 32.3 million.
The Chinese tech powerhouse has been battered after the
previous U.S. administration blacklisted it on national security grounds,
preventing overseas companies from supplying it with key parts including
semiconductors.
Huawei is now in early-stage talks to sell its premium
smartphone brands P and Mate, two people with direct knowledge of the matter
have said, a move that could see the company eventually exit from the high-end
smartphone-making business. The company has denied such a plan.
According to IDC, Huawei now ranks 5th compared with the No.
2 ranking it had only two quarters earlier. Research firms Counterpoint and
Canalys, which also released data on Thursday, pegged Huawei at No. 6, marking
the first time in years that it has fallen out of the top five in their
rankings.
China's Xiaomi Corp, the No. 3 seller, saw its shipments
soar 32% while shipments for fourth-ranked Oppo climbed 10.7%, according to
IDC. -Reuters