Apple's new iPhones outsell the Galaxy Note 4 in Samsung's home country of Korea
In a strange twist, Apple's new iPhone 6 and 6 Plus are outpacing the sales of the Galaxy Note 4 on Samsung's home turf in South Korea. According to the Wall Street Journal, pre-orders for the new iPhone models reached 100,000 units on the first day, as compared to 30,000 for the Note 4.
Sales were brisk at carriers KT and LG Uplus, with the providers processing more than 70,000 orders in the first 30 minutes of ordering. Rival carrier SK Telecom failed to disclose its sales figures, but confirmed it had sold through its first two batches of inventory and has opened up reservations for a third.
This jump in iPhone sales may only be the beginning, with analysts such as Lee Seung-woo of IBK Securities predicting the new iPhones will generate five times the sales of the Note 4. Samsung is the current leader in the Korean smartphone market with 63 percent market share as compared to Apple's 6 percent.
Long a leader in the large phone category, Samsung lost its competitive edge following the launch of the larger 4.7-inch iPhone 6 and the 5.5-inch iPhone 6 Plus. Apple's iPhone 6 and 6 Plus launched in September 2014 with record first weekend sales of 10 million.
