(Bloomberg) — Apple Inc. sold 5% fewer iPhones globally 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.
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The iPhone slipped a point to 18% worldwide market share in 2024, according to Counterpoint Research data. Archrival Samsung Electronics Co. also gave up share to faster-growing Android device makers from China, led by Xiaomi Corp. and Vivo. Apple marked a 2% sales decline for the full year, according to the research, at a time that the wider market grew 4% globally.
Cupertino, California-based Apple has been playing catchup on artificial intelligence, 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, as the company is still working to secure local partners who can help provide features like AI writing assistance and image generation. Analysts last quarter also began warning that some investors harbored overly optimistic expectations of AI features.
“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 like Latin America.”
While it sold fewer units in China, Apple saw an increased proportion coming from its pricier Pro and Pro Max models, which accounted for more than half of all sales in the country.
Lenovo Group Ltd.’s Motorola and Shenzhen-based Huawei Technologies Co. and Honor Device Co. 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.
(Updates with fourth-quarter figures from first paragraph)
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