A new analysis from Canalys (via Computerworld) says that in the first quarter of 2013, Apple sold enough iPhones in China to grab 8% of the country’s growing smartphone market, becoming the fifth-largest smartphone seller in that country.
At three times the size of the U.S. market, China has become one of the most important battlegrounds in the smartphone industry […] Apple had fallen to sixth place in China for the third and fourth quarter of last year, but increasingly aggressive pricing tactics in the market grew sales last quarter.
Apple still lags behind main rival Samsung however, as the Korean phone manufacturer strengthened its already solid spot in China’s market last quarter, upping its share from 17.7% to 20%.
Yulong Computer, Huawei, and Lenovo were the smartphone manufacturers who took the spots between Samsung and Apple. The Cupertino firm and it’s rival were the only two foreign companies to make the top 10 in the Chinese market.
With 82 million smartphones sold in the quarter, China is now the largest smartphone market in the world. China’s smartphone market grew 156% in a year-over-year quarterly comparison.
