iPhone Shipments Slip, Apple’s Global Market Declines
April 27, 2008
According to the latest research results from IDC’s Mobile Phone Tracker - Apple, Motorola, and Sony Ericsson all lost market share in Q1 2008 year-over-year. Apple’s global handset shipments fell sharply, from 2.3 million units in Q4 2007 to 1.7 million in Q1 2008. Apple’s global market share declined for the first time, from 0.7% in Q4 2007 to 0.6% in Q1 2008.
Apple has been hit hard by stock-outs in North America and lackluster demand for its overpriced iPhone in Western Europe, according to Strategy Analytics.
IDC, who seems to be clueless about the widely expected 3G iPhone launch in June, downplayed iPhone features suggesting Australians don’t want the device:
Initial hype surrounding the US launch of the iPhone suggested Apple could take a large slice of the mobile device market, however Australians want more than a large screen and great web-browser; in its current form without 3G connectivity the iPhone’s appeal will be severely limited to die-hard Apple fans and the fashion conscious.
Furthermore, IDC argues that competing devices from leading vendors currently offer far superior functionality in a smaller and lighter form-factor, at broadband speeds on HSDPA.
As a result, they are forecasting Australian iPhone shipments to commence in Q3 2008 with iPhone shipments comprising only 3.5% of the Australian mobile phone market. To put this in context, during 2007 Nokia shipped nearly as many devices in a single month.”
“Australians want to own the ultimate device that does it all…. In addition to having all the features in one device, Australians want their mobiles to look good too. Style is now next to functionality in terms of importance. Slim sliders are the way of the future, giving the benefits of a large screen and keypad in one attractive device, while touch screen-based devices are also rapidly gaining popularity,” - said Mark Novosel, market analyst, telecommunications at IDC.
According to IDC’s numbers, the world’s top five mobile phone vendors, in terms of first quarter shipments, landed as follows: Nokia, with a 39.6% market share; Samsung, with 15.9%; Motorola, with 9.4%; LG Electronics, with 8.4%; and Sony Ericsson, with 7.6%.
IDC’s Q407 Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker revealed that Nokia’s total shipment volumes (115.5 million) were greater than those of Samsung (46.3 million), Motorola (27.4 million), and LG Electronics (24.4 million) combined. Motorola slumped 39.7% and is in real danger of being overtaken by LG Electronics.
IDC is the global provider of market intelligence, advisory services, and events for the information technology, telecommunications, and consumer technology markets. More than 1000 IDC analysts provide global, regional, and local expertise on technology and industry opportunities and trends in over 90 countries worldwide.
So how many computers did Nokia sell last quarter? How music players did they sell (oh, go ahead and throw in their music-playing phones which no one uses to listen to music)? Honestly, that Apple, a hadware/software company, w/ its single phone through single carriers is even in the discussion and equation is testimony enough about how well the iPhone is doing. How many mobile phones did Nokia sell in its first year? Or Sony? Or Samsung?
Look, it’s well known that IDC slights Apple anytime it can, even when the news is good. It also is well agreed that for a device that everyone seems to take shots at, the iPhone is certainly forcing all these “industry leaders” to scramble to redesign phones with a lot the features the iPhones provides today (touch-screen, true web browser, visual voicemail, etc.).
Is there one out there yet that does match the iPhone? Now have any of these new phones actually outsold the iPhone? That would be the real question.
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Umm perhaps it’s because everyone knows the new version is getting ready to come out?
http://www.havethat.co.uk/2008/04/iphone-it-got-me.html
’nuff said
Lackluster indeed, can’t keep them in stock.
Of course we all know that IDC is the last word on cell phones. Apples latest corp. report makes the last quarter their most profitable in their history, I rechecked and can’t find any sign of the reported market share reduction. since I don’t live in western europe l could care less if they don’t like the iPhone.
Ummm sorry, kind of hard to say that iPhone sales “decreased year-over-year” when they didn’t even start selling iPhones until July of 2007! Secondly, you said that sales dropped from Q407 to Q108. Sorry again but they just reported Q208 sales, not Q1! You don’t even know basic facts. And yes, their sales did decline from Q108 to Q208 but that’s to be expected since Apple almost always sees seasonal declines from the Xmas quarter in their products.
The iPhone is the hottest selling phone and is grabbing market share from all the loser firms that pay for this FUD.
D9: Since Apple decided to enter cell-phone market, they’ll be compared against them. The fact that Apple produces comps and iPods is as relevant as the fact that Sony produces Playstation. Also, N95 has easily outsold iPhone despite being more expensive. There are also high-end models by Samsung and LG that have each outsold iPhone, again despite being more expensive.
Barney: No, it’s mostly because Apple fanboys already bought one -or two.
Carley: Check again. Their most profitable quarter is on Mac sales.
Eliak: iPhone sales in Europe was 40% below predictions up to a month ago. Slashing the price might fix this, we’ll have to wait and see. I wonder since it sells so well why Apple slashed the price 3 months after its US introduction and 4-5 months after its Europe introduction -at an already reduced price.
Lipshitz: Apple definitely didn’t sell iPhone until June 2007. But the report is clear: “Apple’s global market share declined for the first time, from 0.7% in Q4 2007 to 0.6% in Q1 2008.” So, the fact that Apple start selling 06/2007 is irrelevant. What’s more, be careful what Q2 or Q1 or Q? means, not every companies follows the same nomenclature. Apple, case in point, doesn’t. Of course, no one would expect them to follow the norm.
As for the iPhone, it’s a great PocketPC (^^). Now, forget about the iPhone and go get the great iPod Touch and a decent cell phone and you’ve got the best of both worlds. But, of course, that’s why Apple made their first ugly-looking product in iPod Touch: iPhone would have been buried.
Apple will get it right, eventually. Even Microsoft got it right the second time round with XBox 360. But they’re not there yet. And they’d better upgrade that horrible camera. It’s reason enough *not* to get an iPhone.
-m-