New research shows that due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic and users waiting for the next generation of iPhones, iPhone global production has fallen, and Apple’s smartphone sales have fallen to fourth place.
Previous reports stated that iPhone 12 sales continued to be exceptionally high, even as Apple moved towards the launch of the iPhone 13. Now, market research from Trendforce claims that Apple’s overall market share has fallen on a global scale, partly because people are waiting for new models.
Apple is now ranked fourth behind Samsung, OPPO and Xiaomi. However, Trendforce also reported that, due to the continuing impact of coronavirus, the smartphone industry was down there. The recent surge in COVID-19 cases in India, Vietnam and other Southeast Asian countries has adversely affected the production and demand of the global smartphone market, the company said in a statement.
The global smartphone production in the second quarter of 21 fell by 11% to a total of 307 million units. However, compared with the same period last year, the quarter increased by about 10%. The global production in the first half of the 21st year reached 652 million units, a growth rate of 18% compared with the first half of 20th when the pandemic was in its infancy.
According to Trendforce’s data, Apple’s iPhone production reached the lowest point of this year, falling to 42 million in the second quarter. This is a decrease of 22.2% from the previous quarter, and Trendforce believes this is because the second quarter is a transitional period between last year’s iPhone and this year’s iPhone.
In contrast, Samsung produced 58.5 million smartphones in the second quarter of 2021. Although it is the highest among all smartphone manufacturers, it still shows a 23.5% month-on-month decline. Trendforce describes iPhone 13 as an extension of the iPhone 12 series rather than a major redesign. The company stated that the production of the iPhone 13 will be affected by the current coronavirus outbreak and supports other reports that Apple may raise prices.
