Shipment volume of the global mobile phone industry totaled around 531.5 million units in the fourth quarter of 2014, up 8.9% sequentially, said Edward Lin, the senior analyst at MIC (Market Intelligence & Consulting Institute), a Taipei-based ICT research institute. "Of total 531.5 million mobile phones shipped, 384.8 million units were contributed by smartphones, representing a 16.5% sequential growth."
Worldwide Mobile Phone Shipment Volume, 1Q 2013 - 2Q 2015
Source: MIC, March 2015
Some branded vendors' shipment volume in the fourth quarter stayed relatively the same as the third quarter. Given the fact that the fourth quarter has always been the peak sales season for mobile phones in the entire year, those brands' sales performance therefore was not quite up to scratch.
Aside from the replacement demand for large screen gadgets, bullish demand from the Greater China Region - comprising of China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong - had led to Apple's revenue growth the fourth quarter of 2014. The Greater China's share accounted for 21.6% of Apple's total revenues in the fourth quarter. And Apple's revenues coming from the region stood at around US$16,144 million, up 156.6% compared to the third quarter. As the market demand is yet to be totally fulfilled, the continuing sales of iPhones in the first quarter of 2015 are the reason that the company can maintain the quarterly shipment volume of over 50 million units in the first quarter.
This year, instead of showcasing products at CES (Consumer Electronics Show), Chinese brands such as Huawei, ZTE, Lenovo, and TCL decided to demonstrate products at 2015 MWC. This reflects their confident to compete head-to-head with international brands.
To see more about this report, please visit: Worldwide Major Mobile Phone Vendor Performance, 1Q 2015
For future receipt of press releases, or more information about MIC research findings, please contact MIC Public Relations.
About MIC
Market Intelligence & Consulting Institute (MIC), based in Taipei, Taiwan, was founded in 1987. MIC is Taiwan's premier IT industry research and consulting firm providing intelligence, in-depth analysis, and strategic consulting services on global IT product and technology trends, focusing on markets and industries in Asia-Pacific. MIC is part of the Institute for Information Industry. https://mic.iii.org.tw/english