Apple has long been the world’s top smartphone manufacturer in terms of revenue and profit, but last year it sold more handsets than any of its rivals for the first time ever.
By volume, Samsung has dominated the industry for the previous 12 years, but it was edged out last year. Shipment of Apple’s iPhones rose 3.7 per cent in 2023 to 234.6 million, according to the research group IDC. That was slightly more than the 226.6 million units delivered by Samsung.
Such is Apple’s dominance in the higher-end part of the mobile market, it has for a while now generated more revenue and profit than any of its rivals. However, 2023 marks the first time that it also led by volume.
Despite the success for Apple, for the industry as a whole last year was the worst in a decade, IDC’s data shows. Device shipments fell 3.2 per cent to 1.17 billion units, although sales did pick up in the run-up to Christmas.
Apple was the only major manufacturer to sell more handsets in 2023 than in 2022. Samsung, which is launching its Galaxy S24 model this week, reported that shipments fell 13.6 per cent year-on-year.
Last week Apple lost its position as the world’s most valuable public company as it was overtaken by its rival American technology giant Microsoft. Apple shares fell further yesterday, slipping $2.29, or 1.2 per cent, to close at $183.63 after the US Supreme Court refused to consider the company’s appeal in a long-running antitrust lawsuit around its App Store.
The decision means that an appeal court’s ruling will now come into effect, allowing app developers to direct users towards cheaper purchasing options for digital content outside of Apple’s ecosystem. Experts said it could impact revenues to the tune of billions of dollars.