HONG KONG/SHANGHAI: Apple’s disappointing China sales suggest that its customers won’t always wait for the next iPhone when rivals such as Samsung have plenty of flashy new models available now, analysts and resellers said on Wednesday.
Apple’s sales from greater China, which includes Taiwan and Hong Kong, totalled $5.7 billion for its third quarter ended June, an unexpectedly steep drop of $2.2 billion from the January-March period in its second-largest market.
“The iPhone 4S model is a little bit too long in the tooth when compared to other phones with better specs,” said TZ Chuang, a Beijing-based analyst from research firm IDC.
“To put it plainly, consumers are getting a little bit tired of the look of the iPhone 4 and the iPhone 4S.”
Samsung, which pre-announced a record quarterly profit of $5.9 billion earlier this month, saw stronger-than-expected demand for its latest Galaxy S III model, while HTC’s One X also gained popularity among phone users globally, including the greater China region.
“The S III and One X are outselling the iPhone now because people like their wider screens, better cameras and the apps are pretty good,” said a salesperson at an electronics store in Hong Kong that carries phones from Apple, Samsung, HTC and Nokia Ojy .
New smartphones made by China’s Huawei Technologies, ZTE and Xiaomi were also hot sells, in part because the price was right. They are heavily subsidised by China’s three telecom carriers.
