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China in the second quarter became the biggest iPhone market in the world, overtaking the United States for the first time in history, based on data analyzed by global market research company TechInsights (via The Elec).

iphone-14-red.jpg

According to the research firm's Global Shipment Report, China accounted for 24% of all iPhone shipments in Q2 2023, while the U.S. market accounted for 21%.

The sluggish U.S. smartphone market in the second quarter is said to have been due to the psychology of consumers delaying the purchase of new phones in anticipation of new iPhone models launching in the second half of this year. However, TechInsight said its results at the same time reflected "China's [growing] economic power, the burgeoning middle class, and the premium phone preferences of Chinese consumers."

iPhone 14 Pro Max Was Best-Selling Model

Asian consumers have long been known to prefer larger-sized smartphones, and a separate analysis suggests this factor may have boosted overall sales of iPhone 14 Pro Max models. According to Omdia's Smartphone Model Market Tracker for 2Q23, in the January-to-June period, Apple's iPhone 14 Pro Max shipped 26.5 million units globally — the most out of any model from any manufacturer. The iPhone 14 Pro came in second place with 21 million units.

There were no devices from Chinese manufacturers in the top 10, following double-digit declines from 2022 due to a slump in the mid- to low-end smartphone market.
techinsights-iphone-sales-q2-2023.jpg

Last year, the iPhone 13 was the bestselling device on the market, indicating a preference among consumers for entry-level rather than top-end devices. The landscape appears to have changed since then, with successive smartphones offering incremental upgrades over wholesale changes and a growing malaise among consumers pushing them to higher-end models.

That trend is expected to continue, and Apple will likely milk the situation this year by further differentiating between its iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro lineup. Not only is Apple expected to make its new, more powerful A17 processor exclusive to the iPhone 15 Pro, the company is also expected to segment its higher tier options by reserving periscope zoom lens technology for the top-end iPhone 15 Pro Max as a standout feature.

Article Link: China Overtakes U.S. to Become Biggest iPhone Market in Q2 2023
 
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Skyscraperfan

macrumors 6502a
Oct 13, 2021
830
2,358
I many Asian countries it is expected that you always buy the most expensive stuff that you can afford. So if you do not have an expensive phone, people will think you are poor and have less respect for you. The same is true for clothes, cars, houses and other stuff. That is typical in economies that are quite new to capitalism and have a huge GPD growth.

People in China pay insane amounts of money on luxury brands, even if they can hardly afford them. It might take a few more decades before they will realize that buying things to impress other people is a waste of money. Until then they will buy a lot of much too expensive cars and other stuff.

Most Chinese do not really have the money to afford an iPhone, but they will do it anyway because of social pressure. Of course there are many rich people in China, but only 100 million or so of the 1.4 billion have an income that would be considered at least average in a western country.

In China you can even buy phone cases that make other phones look like an iPhone. That shocked me very much.
 

4odomi

Cancelled
Jan 19, 2018
1,203
1,220
I many Asian countries it is expected that you always buy the most expensive stuff that you can afford. So if you do not have an expensive phone, people will think you are poor and have less respect for you. The same is true for clothes, cars, houses and other stuff. That is typical in economies that are quite new to capitalism and have a huge GPD growth.

People in China pay insane amounts of money on luxury brands, even if they can hardly afford them. It might take a few more decades before they will realize that buying things to impress other people is a waste of money. Until then they will buy a lot of much too expensive cars and other stuff.

Most Chinese do not really have the money to afford an iPhone, but they will do it anyway because of social pressure. Of course there are many rich people in China, but only 100 million or so of the 1.4 billion have an income that would be considered at least average in a western country.

In China you can even buy phone cases that make other phones look like an iPhone. That shocked me very much.
Apple products & iPhone in particular, have been aspirational products since their launch, it's hardly surprising that people in many country's aspire to have the best.
Also the fact is, that Apple products last twice as long as Android & PC, so smart people recognise, that long term, they're actually cheaper and better value for money.
For instance I've got a MacBook Pro 13" M1, it's almost 3 years old, never gone wrong on me and it's still worth over £500, I would be lucky to get £150 for an equivalent PC.
My 13 Pro is still worth over £700 after 2 years and so on......
 

falkon-engine

macrumors 65816
Apr 30, 2010
1,305
3,090
I many Asian countries it is expected that you always buy the most expensive stuff that you can afford. So if you do not have an expensive phone, people will think you are poor and have less respect for you. The same is true for clothes, cars, houses and other stuff. That is typical in economies that are quite new to capitalism and have a huge GPD growth.

People in China pay insane amounts of money on luxury brands, even if they can hardly afford them. It might take a few more decades before they will realize that buying things to impress other people is a waste of money. Until then they will buy a lot of much too expensive cars and other stuff.

Most Chinese do not really have the money to afford an iPhone, but they will do it anyway because of social pressure. Of course there are many rich people in China, but only 100 million or so of the 1.4 billion have an income that would be considered at least average in a western country.

In China you can even buy phone cases that make other phones look like an iPhone. That shocked me very much.
Consumerism eh?
 

d5aqoëp

macrumors 68000
Feb 9, 2016
1,805
3,181
India will never be able to catch up as Apple sells Pro models here with almost $500 markup. 😂

Since Gold is also a popular color there. This should be the reason Apple should NOT get rid of the Gold iPhone from the iPhone 15 lineup. 🤫

One can be amazed by how stubborn Apple can get.

The dull Champagne gold of my wife’s 13 Pro still amazes me.
 

lkrupp

macrumors 68020
Jul 24, 2004
2,166
4,520
China will become the most important market for many US companies and industries in the next 5-10 years. End of an era for sure.
And that scares the crap out of me because those nominally US companies will NOT have US interests in mind. Apple is already in that frame of mind. It thinks globally but is content to be protected by the US. In fact most global companies are US in name only. This is apparent whenever the topic of trade negotiations comes up.
 

CarAnalogy

macrumors 603
Jun 9, 2021
5,036
9,158
Except here in the Netherlands, where people take a certain pride in being thrifty.

Yeah but I feel like you could start a lot of sentences about countries with "except in the Netherlands."

For the record I think that's because they get a hell of a lot of things right that other countries somehow seem to miss.

Back on topic, this was bound to happen sooner or later with such a larger population. I'm assuming the Chinese model of the 14 still has a SIM slot. I know for certain at least one sale that cost them in the US market.
 

istanbul

macrumors newbie
Nov 4, 2020
13
21
I many Asian countries it is expected that you always buy the most expensive stuff that you can afford. So if you do not have an expensive phone, people will think you are poor and have less respect for you. The same is true for clothes, cars, houses and other stuff. That is typical in economies that are quite new to capitalism and have a huge GPD growth.

People in China pay insane amounts of money on luxury brands, even if they can hardly afford them. It might take a few more decades before they will realize that buying things to impress other people is a waste of money. Until then they will buy a lot of much too expensive cars and other stuff.

Most Chinese do not really have the money to afford an iPhone, but they will do it anyway because of social pressure. Of course there are many rich people in China, but only 100 million or so of the 1.4 billion have an income that would be considered at least average in a western country.

In China you can even buy phone cases that make other phones look like an iPhone. That shocked me very much.
Same in Turkiye, too.
 
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