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Tuesday, 13th March 2012
In Business In Japan,
Apple iPhone becomes Japan's number one smartphone
Apple's iPhone became the biggest-selling smartphone in Japan for the first time at the end of 2011, new figures have revealed.
According to research by the International Data Corporation (IDC) Japan, iPhone sales commanded the largest market share of any smartphone maker during the fourth quarter of 2011, the Mainichi Daily reported.
Driven by the popularity of the newest model, the iPhone 4S, the Californian company saw its share of the Japanese smartphone market climb to 26.6 per cent.
Tokyo-based Futjitsu was pushed into second place with an 18.3 per cent share of the market, while Sharp Corp came in third with 15.7 per cent, the IDC figures revealed.
Sales of mobile phones climbed markedly in Japan last year, with the 10.65 million handsets sold in 2011 accounting for a 15.2 per cent increase on 2010.
The dominance of the smartphone was reaffirmed by the figures, with sales last year constituting 64.7 per cent of all mobile phone units sold.
Apple's newest iPad tablet computer is scheduled for launch this week, with the hugely popular device selling out in pre-orders alone.
Written by Mark Smith
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