Apple iPhone in Japan: Counterpoint Says Apple iPhone Number One In Japan

Apple iPhone in Japan: According to a recent study by Counterpoint Research, out of Hong Kong, the Apple Inc. iPhone sits alone at the top of the market in Japan.

For the first time ever, the Cupertino-based company is the leader in Japan’s mobile industry. While it has taken a while for Apple to reach the top, indications are good that the company will be able to maintain its spot for the time being. In the past, the company has moved to the top of the industry, such as during a product launch, but was unable to hold off competitors for an extended period of time.

The Country Market Share Report for Q4 2012 has found that “Apple took 16% market share in the fourth quarter of 2012 and 15% for the full year of 2012 reaching the No.1 spot for the first time in annual terms. It has been No.1 since November of last year.”

As you can see, Apple Inc. has been at the top spot for a few months now.

Counterpoint goes on to explain Apple’s position at the top, as well as what the competition is up to:

“Japanese local brands had a long legacy of smart feature phones running operator friendly or handset vendor proprietary operating systems but it took a globally accredited operating system like Android to compete with iOS. Samsung, LG, HTC had a head start compared to Japanese brands and even Chinese brands like ZTE and Huawei were more adept at introducing Android equipped smartphones.”

“As a result in Q4 2012 foreign brands like and Apple, Samsung and LG took 50% of the handset market in Japan. Chinese Brands like Huawei saw sales jump three fold in a short period.”

In Q4, Apple Inc. reached a share of 16 percent of the market. This brought the company’s total market share for 2012 to 15 percent.

In the past, Sharp and Fujitsu were typically at the top of the list. While both companies are still close, they accounted for 14 percent each in 2012.

Here is one theory from the report on why the iPhone performed so well:

“In 2012 both Softbank and KDDI heavily promoted the new iPhone 5 to challenge Docomo. This move sparked a battle of smartphones in which Docomo fought back with various new smartphone models, the majority of which were also foreign branded. So yet again it’s operator competition that has catalyzed the iPhone’s success – but in Japan at the expense of home grown players.”

What are your thoughts on the success of the Apple Inc. iPhone in Japan in 2012?

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