iPhone 5s selling like gangbusters in China
New research data from CounterPoint Research reveals that the iPhone 5s, much like the iPhone in the US, is selling extremely well in China. During the month of October, Counterpoint found that iPhones accounted for 12 percent of all smartphone sales in the country. Of that, the iPhone 5s was by far the most popular model.
Beyond the apparent success, the data suggests that Chinese buyers were waiting for the 5s, which launched in October, above the 5c. The 5s was the top-selling phone in the nation in October, with the iPhone 5 in second place -- the cheaper 5c, possibly seen as a lower-status symbol, came in in fourth place.
iPhone sales in China are expected to boom once the device officially becomes available on China Mobile, a carrier with well more than 700 million subscribers. As it stands now, the iPhone in China is only available via China Telecom and China Unicom.
Earlier this fall, IDC issued a report suggesting that Apple's share of the smartphone market in China is poised to double in 2014.
