In spite of difficulties securing deals with Asian wireless companies, much of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s market share growth was due to a great first quarter in China — that’s the good news. Unfortunately for Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) shareholders, as we move into Q2 and beyond, the picture isn’t quite as rosy.
The numbers
To no one’s surprise, Samsung dominated the worldwide mobile phone market in Q1. With over 100 million units sold, and nearly 65 million of those smartphones, Samsung continues to pull away from the pack. Though Gartner’s not sold on Samsung’s Galaxy S4, calling it “more of an evolution than a truly revolutionary device compared to the S3,” they do expect it will continue to drive sales growth in 2013.
As for Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL), the decline in global feature phone sales is a positive since it’s steadfastly refused to enter the low-end feature phone market. And with nearly 7 million iPhones sold in the rapidly growing Chinese market in Q1, it would seem Apple’s future is looking good. But after further review, the second and third quarters of 2013 could be challenging for Apple.
The hurdles
When does selling 7 million phones in an exploding market become worrisome? For Apple, the answer is when the sales are largely due to ridding itself of lower-cost iPhone 4 inventories, rather than ramping up sales of its iPhone 5. And that, according to Gartner, is exactly what happened in China in Q1. Unfortunately for Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) shareholders, with no new phones on the (immediate) horizon, “the next two quarters will also be challenging,” says Anshul Gupta of Gartner.
Now, couple the shedding of iPhone 4 inventory in China with Apple’s inability to secure subsidy deals with the likes of China Mobile Ltd. (ADR) (NYSE:CHL), the largest wireless carrier in the world, and it’s difficult to see how Apple moves its iPhone 5 units in Asia. Asking the Chinese consumer to spend $650 or $700 on an iPhone is wishful thinking, to say the least. Maybe it’s time Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) CEO Tim Cook makes another trip east?
As for the mobile phone OS world, Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) isn’t just holding its own with Android; it’s continuing to pull away from the pack. Last year at this time, Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG)’s Android held about 57% of the global smartphone OS market, with Apple a clear second at 22.5%. In this year’s Q1, the two behemoths still own the OS market with a combined 92.6% share, but the gap between the two is widening in Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG)’s favor. Google’s Android OS now runs on over 74% of all smartphones in the world, while Apple’s iOS market share has dropped to 18.2%.
Okay, so now what?
As Google and Samsung continue to grow their respective market shares, Apple is staring down what could be a tough couple of quarters — not a pleasant notion for shareholders patiently waiting for Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) to break out of its share price funk. So, what’s an iFan to do? If you’re on board with the long-term potential of Apple at these share price levels, patience has never been more important.
The article Good News and Bad News for Apple in China originally appeared on Fool.com and is written by Tim Brugger .
Fool contributor Tim Brugger has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Apple and Google. The Motley Fool owns shares of Apple, China Mobile, and Google.
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