According to the latest research from Strategy Analytics, global smartphone shipments tumbled 9% annually to reach 400 million units in the fourth quarter (Q4) of 2017 — the biggest annual fall in smartphone history — but Apple captured first place with 19% global market share.
The iPhone maker shipped 77.3 million smartphones worldwide in Q4 2017, slipping 1% annually from 78.3 million in Q4 2016. Despite robust iPhone X demand and an iPhone average selling price approaching an incredible $800, Strategy Analytics notes that global iPhone volumes have actually declined on an annual basis for five of the past eight quarters.
“If Apple wants to expand shipment volumes in the future, it will need to launch a new wave of cheaper iPhones and start to push down, not up, the pricing curve,” opines Neil Mawston, executive director at Strategy Analytics.
