Apple Inc.'s CEO Tim Cook next to tech representatives from China at Apple store. (Photo : Reuters)
The big-screen iPhone 6 and 6 Plus not only gave Apple unprecedented earnings in the fourth quarter of 2014, but they also made Apple achieve the top rank in China's smartphone market for the first time ever.
This does not include the Hong Kong and Taiwan markets, but this remains no small feat all the same.
For the first time, Apple managed to top China's smartphone market. Analysts, however, refuse to say that this would be for a long-term period. They also cautioned the company against being too complacent, despite saying that the sales are a remarkable achievement.
"This is an amazing result, given that the average selling price of Apple's handsets is nearly double those of its nearest competitors," U.K.-based consultancy Canalys shared in a press release posted on its website late on Tuesday.
Interestingly, following Apple is not the brand that it is competing the most worldwide, Samsung. Rather, it is the locally based Xiaomi that holds the coveted spot. Samsung and Huawei hold the third and fourth spots based on their shipments during the period.
Apple's iPhone 6 and 6 Plus managed to turn the tables on their competitors. If other companies were closing in on Apple's sales prior to the release of these bigger-sized iPhones, the 6 and 6 Plus managed to put a wider girth between Apple's sales and its competitors.
In fact, before the fourth quarter, Xiaomi was the top smartphone maker when it comes to the shipments in the Chinese market. It was followed by Samsung, Lenovo and Huawei. Apple was only seventh in the third quarter.
