iPhone 12 Pro Models Expected to Drive 50% YoY Growth in Quarterly Global Smartphone Shipments
Apple's iPhone 12 Pro models are set to contribute significantly to a 50% year-on-year growth of smartphone shipments worldwide in the first quarter of this year, according analyses conducted by Digitimes Research.
The pace of iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max shipments is expected to align with a ramp up in shipments from Chinese brands eager to fill a vacuum in the global market left by Huawei, culminating in a projected 340 million unit shipments globally in Q1 2021.
Apple's iPhone shipments are expected to total over 60 million units in first-quarter 2021, having seen such shipments reach over 90 million units a quarter earlier, Digitimes Research estimates. Apple is likely to be the top vendor for a six-month period that ends March 31, 2021, with total shipments of over 150 million units, up 38% from the same period of a year earlier.
Samsung Electronics will rank second and see its shipments decline slightly in the six months, or roughly 60-65 million units each for fourth-quarter 2020 and first-quarter 2021. Xiaomi will be in third place with its shipments totaling 90 million units in the six months, representing an increase of over 80% from a year earlier. Huawei will ship less than 20 million smartphones to be in sixth place in the first quarter of 2021.
JP Morgan analyst Samik Chatterjee recently claimed that iPhone 12 series quarterly shipments continue to enjoy a year-on-year 13% increase, despite a dip in demand, while Wedbush analyst Daniel Ives said that the firm had "increased confidence" that Apple's 5G-driven product cycle would extend well into 2022.
Those projections appear to be generally reflected by Digitimes' analyses, which predict global shipments of 5G-enabled phones to reach over 600 million units in 2021 compared to 280 million units shipped a year earlier.
Huawei, Apple and Samsung were the top-three 5G phone vendors in 2020, accounting for over 70% of global 5G phone shipments, according to the Taiwanese industry publication.
Popular Stories
Apple today released new firmware designed for the AirPods Pro 3, the AirPods 4, and the prior-generation AirPods Pro 2. The AirPods Pro 3 firmware is 8B25, while the AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4 firmware is 8B21, all up from the prior 8A358 firmware released in October.
There's no word on what's include in the updated firmware, but the AirPods Pro 2, AirPods 4 with ANC, and AirPods Pro 3...
Apple released the first iOS 26.2 beta last week. The upcoming update includes a handful of new features and changes on the iPhone, including a new Liquid Glass slider for the Lock Screen's clock, offline lyrics in Apple Music, and more.
In a recent press release, Apple confirmed that iOS 26.2 will be released to all users in December, but it did not provide a specific release date....
iOS 26 extended pinned conversations in the Messages app to CarPlay, for quick access to your most frequent chats. However, some drivers may prefer the classic view with a list of individual conversations only, and Apple now lets users choose.
Apple released the second beta of iOS 26.2 this week, and it introduces a new CarPlay setting for turning off pinned conversations in the Messages...
While it was rumored that Apple planned to release new versions of the HomePod mini, Apple TV, and AirTag this year, it is no longer clear if that will still happen.
Back in January, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said Apple planned to release new HomePod mini and Apple TV models "toward the end of the year," while he at one point expected a new AirTag to launch "around the middle of 2025." Yet,...
Apple today announced that iPhone users can now create a Digital ID in the Apple Wallet app based on information from their U.S. passport.
To create and present a Digital ID based on a U.S. passport, you need:
An iPhone 11 or later running iOS 26.1 or later, or an Apple Watch Series 6 or later running watchOS 26.1 or later
Face ID or Touch ID and Bluetooth turned on
An Apple Account ...
Tesla is working to add support for Apple CarPlay in its vehicles, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports.
Tesla vehicles rely on its own infotainment software system, which integrates vehicle functions, navigation, music, web browsing, and more. The automaker has been an outlier in foregoing support for Apple CarPlay, which has otherwise become an industry standard feature, allowing users to...
Today marks the fifth anniversary of the Apple silicon chip that replaced Intel chips in Apple's Mac lineup. The first Apple silicon chip, the M1, was unveiled on November 10, 2020. The M1 debuted in the MacBook Air, Mac mini, and 13-inch MacBook Pro.
The M1 chip was impressive when it launched, featuring the "world's fastest CPU core" and industry-leading performance per watt, and it's only ...
Apple today provided developers with the second beta of iOS 26.2, which adds a few new features worth knowing about.
Measure App
Apple's Measure app now features a Liquid Glass design for the level, with two Liquid Glass bubbles instead of white circles.
Games App
There's now an option to sort games in the Games app Library by size, in addition to Name and Recent.
CarPlay
The...
Update: It took a day, but Apple has now corrected its Apple Intelligence device compatibility list to show support for the earliest Apple silicon Macs. The original article follows.
Apple's website is causing some confusion among Mac owners, and for good reason – its device compatibility listing for Apple Intelligence appears to have dropped support for M1 Macs.
The U.S. version...
Apple has teamed up with Japanese fashion house ISSEY MIYAKE to launch iPhone Pocket, a 3D-knitted limited edition accessory designed to carry an iPhone, AirPods, and other everyday items.
The accessory is like a stretchy pocket, not unlike an iPod Sock, but elongated to form a strap made of a ribbed, elastic textile that fully encloses an iPhone yet allows you to glimpse the display...
