Apple's iPhone Snags Top Spot in Japan's Mobile Phone Market in 2012

Apple's iPhone Snags Top Spot in Japan's Mobile Phone Market in 2012

Published on 02-13-2013 01:52 PM

According to recently published findings, Apple rode strong demand of its new iPhone 5 to sell more handsets in Japan than any other manufacturer during the full 2012 calendar year. The news comes as a first for the Cupertino California company.

Data from Counterpoint Research shows that by the end of the fourth quarter of 2012, Apple?s iPhone accounted for 16% of the entire Japanese mobile phone market, feature phones included. This helped the company take an annual share of 15% for the year. The report found traditional top-sellers such as Sharp and Fujitsu behind Apple for the first time, with each taking a 14% share of the market. Sharp, which has been financially struggling over the past few quarters, had previously been Japan?s number one cell phone manufacturers for six years running.

Helping contribute towards Apple?s success was heavy promotion of the iPhone 5 from carriers such as Softbank and KDDI in an attempt to set themselves apart from the market-leading telecom, DoCoMo. The campaign yielded interesting results, as DoCoMo countered the iPhone with foreign smartphone offerings. By the end of the fourth quarter, Apple, Samsung and LG took up half the market, while Chinese brand also saw booming sales. Analysts from Counterpoint said the following to share their take on Japan?s mobile market:

Japan was once considered to be like a Galapagos Island, an isolated terrain, in terms of mobile technology. It had its own unique digital cellular technology. It was far more advanced than any market in the world and it seemed nearly impossible for any foreign technology company to penetrate the market. Motorola had failed and Nokia had failed. The wave of smartphones has changed the situation now and it looks like the Japanese market is a market that can be transformed after all for better or worse. DoCoMo ended up blaming the iPhone for its biggest ever monthly loss of subscribers previously and over the same period, Apple partner carriers Softbank and KDDI saw massive month-to-month gains.

Looks like Apple seems to be making the right move by expanding and reaching out to foreign markets to continue their success.

Source: Counterpoint Research via TheNextWeb

Source: http://modmyi.com/content/10038-apple-s-iphone-snags-top-spot-japan-s-mobile-phone-market-2012.html

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