Apple has lost its spot as the world’s leading phone maker to competitor and former top dog Samsung, according to data from the research firm IDC. iPhone shipments declined by about 10 percent in the first quarter of 2024 even as global smartphone shipments increased 7.8 percent in the same period, allowing Samsung to rise again to the top. The Korean maker has long dominanted the phone market, with its Android models enjoying the top spot for 12 consecutive years between early 2012 and late 2023 before Apple briefly overtook the top ranking at the end of 2023. Now, however, the U.S. maker holds a 17.3 percent market share to Samsung’s 20.8 percent. Declining iPhone sales are due in part to Apple’s struggles in China, its third largest market, where some government agencies and private companies restrict employees’ use of Apple devices. Xiaomi, a Chinese smartphone maker, holds third place behind Apple and Samsung with a market share of 14.1 percent.
