Apple Inc.'s
What Happened: Smartphone shipments declined for the third consecutive quarter in the US, falling by 24% year-on-year in the June quarter. However, iPhone shipments remained strong, falling by a considerably lower 6%, according to Counterpoint Research data.
Most of the decline was observed in shipments of Android smartphones, which fell by 38% year-on-year during the June quarter.
"Android brands like Samsung, Motorola, and TCL-Alcatel saw the steepest declines in shipments, while Apple's shipments were more resilient," the research firm said.
iPhone's resilience also helped Apple increase its market share of shipments in the June quarter, which increased to 55% from 52% in the March quarter. On the other hand, Samsung registered a decline to 23% from 27% in this period.
Apple's gains are even more significant year-on-year - in the June 2022 quarter, iPhones accounted for only 45% of the total shipments. This increased drastically to 55% in the June 2023 quarter.
On the other hand, Samsung came in second, but its loss was steep on a year-on-year basis - its market share stood at 28% in the June 2022 quarter, now down to 23%.
Uncertain Economy, Hesitant Customers: The ongoing economic woes also resulted in customers remaining hesitant and holding back on upgrading to new phones.
"Despite inflation numbers falling through the quarter and ongoing strength in the job market, consumers hesitated to upgrade their devices amid market uncertainty," said Matthew Orf, Research Analyst at Counterpoint Research.
However, he added that the prospects look better ahead, largely due to the upcoming iPhone 15 series. Apple is expected to launch new iPhones in September.
