A big year for Apple and Samsung in worldwide sales and shipping has yielded some great results. Not only has the iPhone exploded in a fresh new Chinese market, but Samsung has been revealing some excellent pioneering features, such as the Note Edge’s curved screen edges. Now it seems from new figures that both Apple and Samsung tied for the position in 2014’s fourth business quarter.
Figures based on global shipments of smartphones from both companies, compiled by Strategy Analytics, showed that both companies had shipped the exact same number of units during that part of the year. The figure for both ended up at 74.4 million units, 19.6% of the entire global market for both companies.
SEE ALSO: HTC One (M9) and (M9) Plus official photos leaked
Howveer, figures for the entire year show that despite this bizarre tied last quarter, Samsung has managed to stay at the top for another year in terms of mobiles shipped by any one company in particular. The total number of phones shipped by Samsung in all of the year 2014 totaled at a huge 317.2 million units, 24.7% of the global world market.
The shipment figures were however down from last year for Samsung who managed to claim 32.3% of the market in 2013. Additionally, Apple’s yearly total sales were down from 2015, only slightly however, from 15.5% the previous year down to just 15% this year. Both companies hav experienced a downturn in growth, but regardless continue to dominate the phone sector.
What the reason is for this downfall is complicated. Rival companies in emerging markets such as China as well as economic stresses may have caused former devotees or new buyers to choose cheaper phones which offer relatively similar functions to those made by the high end manufacturers Apple and Samsung, although the latter do offer budget options as well.
SEE ALSO: Steve Jobs Biopic Filming Begins with Michael Fassbender
On top of this, Windows Phone, the newer operating system for smartphones by Microsoft, may have had an impact on the sales of iOS and Android based systems found on Samsung and Apple phones. Whilst it’s not all that popular, Windows Phone could have a greater impact in the following years.
In terms of just what the market itself is up to, the theme of expansion, growth, investment and development is continuing throughout the smartphone business. new features, tech and apps are spreading like wildfire, and as for shipping, global phone shipments were up to 1.3 billion units sent out worldwide.
Via: Techspot
Source: Strategy Analytics