Xiaomi and Apple lead the way in China, as Samsung continues to falter
 

Samsung has held a powerful grasp over the smartphone market for quite some time, but things are starting to change, and in big ways, according to the latest report from the IDC.

According to a press release issued by the IDC on Tuesday, February 17, 107.5 million smartphones were shipped inside of China in just the fourth quarter of 2014, and while Xiaomi took the lion’s share of those numbers, Apple managed to make a pretty big impact as well. Unfortunately for Samsung, though, of the total 420.7 million smartphones shipped in total last year, their grip slackened a great deal near the end of 2014.

The numbers showcase that Xiaomi saw a 150% year-over-year growth by the end of the fourth quarter 2014. In the fourth quarter 2013, Xiaomi saw a market share of only 6.5%, but the fourth quarter 2014 was a huge change, at 13.7%. However, what’s interesting, is that Xiaomi’s impact on the market took a bit of a hit when Apple’s latest iPhones, the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, launched. According to the information provided in the release, Xiaomi’s marketshare actually fell between the third quarter 2014 and the fourth quarter, from 14.8% to the aforementioned 13.7%.
http://www.iphonehacks.com/2015/02/x...shipments.html