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During the first quarter of 2015, smartphone
shipments in the world's most populous country shrank for the
first time in six years to 98.8 million, down 4.3 percent from a
year earlier, IDC said in report on a Monday, attributing the
slump to "market saturation".
The rise of Chinese consumers has fueled booming demand for
smartphones in recent years, lifting firms including Apple -
which made a record $16.8 billion in revenue in China last
quarter thanks to its iPhone 6 series launch - and Beijing-based
Xiaomi [XTC.UL], which grew into a $46 billion company in just
four years.
China overtook the United States in 2011 to become the world's
largest smartphone market.
But IDC's data suggesting that a slowdown has already begun
could pose questions for the industry.
Thanks to its large-screen iPhone 6, Apple consolidated its
position in the shrinking Chinese market, claiming 14.7 percent
market share, ahead of Xiaomi and Huawei at 13.7 percent and
11.4 percent, respectively, according to IDC.
Global leader Samsung came in fourth in China with a 9.7 percent
share.
The slowdown in China will increase pressure on manufacturers to
seek growth in India and Southeast Asia, where striking
partnerships with distributors will prove critical, said IDC
analyst Xiaohan Tay.
Xiaomi, for one, has actively courted both online and offline
sellers in India over the past year. The company, which has sold
its handsets on Flipkart.com for the past year, said last month
it would also sell its phones at The Mobile Store retail chain
throughout the country.
(Reporting by Gerry Shih; Editing by Gopakumar Warrier)
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