Despite a not-so-stellar third quarter for Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL ) , Japan was a bright spot for the iPhone maker. Apple now commands a record 34% market share in the country once dominated by domestic brands.
It's the first time a smartphone brand has surpassed 30% market share in Japan in a decade, and Apple is poised to grab even more.Japan's smartphone market has typically been dominated by domestic companies including Sony and Sharp, and until this past quarter Apple didn't hold much sway in the country.
Apple skyrocketed from third place in Japan's mobile handset market to the top spot in part because the iPhone finally launched on NTT DoCoMo (NYSE: DCM ) , the island nation's largest wireless carrier. The move allowed Apple's iPhone 5s to become the best-selling smartphone in Japan in September, with about half a million in sales.
But it wasn't just the 5s that tipped the scales for Apple. To compete with DoCoMo, other Japanese carriers offered massive discounts and incentives on the iPhone 5, grabbing consumers who didn't want to endure the two-week wait for the 5s.
Apple is expected to maintain its new lead in Japan, and a Gartner analyst told Reuters he thinks the company could grab as much as 50% of smartphone market share in the country.
Source: NewsOnJapan
Apple skyrocketed from third place in Japan's mobile handset market to the top spot in part because the iPhone finally launched on NTT DoCoMo (NYSE: DCM ) , the island nation's largest wireless carrier. The move allowed Apple's iPhone 5s to become the best-selling smartphone in Japan in September, with about half a million in sales.
But it wasn't just the 5s that tipped the scales for Apple. To compete with DoCoMo, other Japanese carriers offered massive discounts and incentives on the iPhone 5, grabbing consumers who didn't want to endure the two-week wait for the 5s.
Apple is expected to maintain its new lead in Japan, and a Gartner analyst told Reuters he thinks the company could grab as much as 50% of smartphone market share in the country.
Source: NewsOnJapan
