New numbers from Canalys Last year, of course, was a heavy blow to an industry that is already suffering from a decline. Hope that the arrival of 5G would fix the ship was shattered by Covid-19.
Things are looking good, fueled in large part by a killer neighborhood for Apple. The company released its earnings last night, putting much of its success at the feet of the iPhone 12. Despite (or maybe because of) delays caused by pandemics, the handset arrived in a perfect storm – the beginnings of a “super cycle” customer updating devices at a kind of critical mass.
The numbers for the fourth quarter of 2020 are still declining – but they’re only down 2% per company. This is due in no small part to the iPhone’s best quarter when the company launched four 5G sports phones. Canalys is seeing a 4% increase for Apple as the device hit a broader 5G rollout just in time for the holiday season.
The company was ranked number one worldwide, with Samsung finishing number two despite a 12% decline. The Chinese manufacturers Xiaomi, Oppo and Vivo rounded off the top 5 and all recorded a double-digit increase.
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The category is expected to rebound this year after declining on supply chain concerns and then the pandemic due to bigger economic issues.
“The introduction of COVID-19 vaccines also builds business confidence for 2021 and allows them to plan and invest,” said analyst Ben Stanton of the numbers. “Going forward, there will be an obvious economic impact as government incentives wane and there are ongoing concerns about new strains of the virus. Overall, however, the mood in the industry is positive and in 2021 the smartphone market is set to recover from a 7% decline in 2020. “
Another report from Canalys notes more positive news for the PC market, up 35% year over year thanks to tablet and Chromebook sales.
