14 DAY TRIAL // Counterpoint Research has released numbers for the September-November timeframe in South Korea’s smartphone market, revealing that iPhone sales have soared to grab a historical 33% share in the country.
The figures released by Counterpoint indicate that Apple is experiencing substantial growth in all of its key markets, including several countries in the Far East. But one in particular has caught the eye of the research firm.
Shared with the WSJ, the research reveals that Apple’s market share in South Korea climbed all the way to 33% from less than 15% before the new iPhone 6 was launched. That’s roughly 18 points that the iPhone 6 appears to be solely responsible for.
Apple left the country’s LG Electronics (with a 14% share) in a trail of dust, and moved into the second position right behind Samsung, its fiercest competitor, whose share was 46% in the September-November period. Samsung’s share fell 14 points from the 60% slice it had before November, Counterpoint said.
First foreign brand to break the 20% barrier in South Korea
Tom Kang, research director for mobile devices at Counterpoint, released a statement saying that “No foreign brand has gone beyond the 20% market share mark in the history of Korea’s smartphone industry. It has always been dominated by the global smartphone leader, Samsung. But iPhone 6 and 6 Plus have made a difference here, denting the competition’s phablet sales.”
According to the same people, Apple’s iPhone is also doing great in Japan, where Apple held 51% of the smartphone market in November, making it the leader in the land of the rising sun. Sony tracks it with a distant 17% share in the country.