Apple has yet another reason to celebrate in 2010, as if they didn’t have enough reason already. IDC Japan announced on Wednesday that the iPhone 4’s 1.06 million phones sold has pushed the electronics manufacturers device to 5th place among most units sold. Apple went from seventh place during the first half of 2010 to 12.2 percent of the market from July to September, good enough for 5th place.
Apple now sits just slightly behind several bigger Japanese manufacturers, here’s the breakdown:
- Kyocera (12.7 percent)
- Fujitsu (15.1 percent)
- Panasonic (16.6 percent)
- Sharp (18.8 percent)
With Fall numbers still to be counted, there’s a chance Apple may have gained more ground, however the Samsung Galaxy S also performed very well in the region which may have pushed down overall iPhone 4 sales.
While Apple has made up a lot of ground, they are stifled by the phones own inability to support the hardware requirements of most local carriers. On the other hand, in a market that has not traditionally been gravitating towards Smartphones, the arrival of the iPhone 4 shows that Apple is able to build new user bases wherever they decide to setup shop.
