Jung Min-ho has worked as a staff writer at The Korea Times since 2012, mostly covering social and political issues. He currently belongs to the Politics & City Desk where he covers topics such as health, labor and human rights. Prior to joining the team, he was responsible for covering North Korea and sports. His article about a biosecurity breach of Middle East respiratory syndrome won him an award from the Korea Science Journalists Association in 2016. He is also the co-author of the book, "Medical Pioneers of Korea" (2019). He served as the head of the international relations committee at the Journalists Association of Korea from 2021 to 2023.
Apple iPhone shipments plunge in China
Apple CEO Tim Cook / AFP
By Jung Min-ho
By Jung Min-ho
Apple's iPhone shipments fell nearly 20 percent in China during the fourth quarter, according to the
from research firm IDC.
The report shows a 19.9 percent fall in the U.S. company's smartphone shipments in its core Asian market. This reduced its market share to 11.5 percent from 12.9 percent a year earlier.
Meanwhile, Apple's home-grown rival Huawei registered a 23.3 percent gain. Other Chinese brands Oppo and Vivo eked out modest gains of 1.5 percent and 3.1 percent, respectively.
“The imbalance between the increasingly severe domestic market environment and Apple's high product unit price has led to the declines of iPhone shipments in the Chinese market,” IDC said.
Apple no longer reveals detailed numbers on iPhone sales in its quarterly results. Therefore, surveys and channel checks by research firms are the only clear indicators of sales shifts.