Where Does Apple Inc. (AAPL) Fit Into This Fast-Growing Smartphone Market?

We never shy away from a good Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) story, especially when it has something to do with Cupertino’s continued involvement in the China smartphone market. In fact, we talked a bit about this in this article – and that was just the start.

Apple Inc (AAPL)Apple CEO Tim Cook has not hid the fact that he expects the company to become top dog in China in the future. Whether or not Cupertino is able to make this happen is up in the air, however, they are giving it a strong push.

With all this in mind, it is important to pay close attention to any statistics released pertaining to the smartphone market in China. Digitimes Research, for example, recently noted that the number of China 3G service subscribers is set to topple 300 million in the first half of 2013.

This is big news for both Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) as well as the many other companies in the smartphone industry fighting for market share.

Here is more from the article:

“The number of 3G service subscribers in China is expected to top 322 million by the end of the first half of 2013, representing a penetration rate of 27.1%. Meanwhile, sales of smartphones in China will total 170 million units in the first half of 2013, up 51% on the prior six-month period, according to Digitimes Research.”

Although these numbers go a long way in showing just how much growth the market is experiencing in China, you may still be wondering where Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) fits into the picture.

Here you go:

“In the second quarter of 2013, Samsung Electronics delivered a total of 14.5 million smartphones, including entry-level to mid-range 3G models and the high-end Galaxy S4, in China, accounting for a 15.7% share.

Lenovo ranked second with smartphone shipments totaling 8.6 million units in the second quarter, followed by Coolpad with 8.4 million units, Huawai with 8.0 million units and Apple with 7.7 million units.”

As you can see, Apple is not as close to the top as it would like. That being said, the company is hoping to make progress in the future. This will be much easier if the company decides to release a cheaper iPhone.

The piece goes on to add that “Sales of Apple smartphones were lower than expected in the second quarter as the US-based vendor did not release any new models during the period. But Apple may see its sales rebound in the second half of 2013, powered by the planned launch of a low-priced model as well as a TD-SCDMA version iPhone.”

The fact that China is a big part of the Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) puzzle moving forward is no surprise.

Will Apple be able to eventually take over the top spot in this market? Do you feel that Cupertino is on the right track? Share your thoughts below while also checking out this story for more information.