iPhone loses global market share with Apple AI absent in China

APPLE sold 5 per cent fewer iPhones and lost ground to Chinese rivals in the final quarter of last year, reflecting the absence of Apple Intelligence in its largest market outside the US.

The iPhone slipped a point to 18 per cent market share in 2024, according to Counterpoint Research data. Archrival Samsung Electronics also gave up share to faster-growing Android device makers from China, led by Xiaomi and Vivo. Apple marked a 2 per cent sales decline for the full year, according to the research, at a time that the wider market grew 4 per cent globally.

Cupertino, California-based Apple has been playing catchup on artificial intelligence (AI), with its suite of AI enhancements rolling out in stages following the launch of the iPhone 16 in September. Those AI additions are not yet available in any form in China, the world’s biggest smartphone market, as the company is still working to secure local partners who can help provide features such as AI writing assistance and image generation.

“Apple’s iPhone 16 series was met with a mixed response, partly due to a lack of availability of Apple Intelligence at launch,” Counterpoint director Tarun Pathak said. “However, Apple continued to grow strongly in its non-core markets such as Latin America.”

Lenovo Group’s Motorola and Shenzhen-based Huawei Technologies and Honor Device were the fastest-growing brands in the top 10, the researchers found. China’s smartphone makers are all developing their own in-house AI tools and agents, including services that can perform tasks on a user’s behalf. BLOOMBERG