Apple Loses Top Spot in China to Vivo and Huawei

As per the research data released on Thursday January 16th by research firm Canalys stated that Apple had lost its position as the “largest smartphone vendor” in China. It’s because of the local competitors Vivo and Huawei. Both surpassed the iPhone manufacturer after its yearly shipments in the nation fell by 17%. It was Apple’s biggest yearly sales decrease in China ever. The decline occurred in all four quarters with the fourth quarter seeing a 25% drop.

Vivo, a low cost smartphone manufacturer held a 17 percent market share in China for the entire year followed by Apple at 15 percent and its high end rival Huawei at 16 percent. This also indicates the increasing pressure on Vivo’s sales from local producers in one of its largest international markets. 

The drop also shows how Apple’s competitiveness is being eroded by elements like the new iPhone’s lack of AI features in China where in the country ChatGPT is not accessible.