The global smartphone market is set for its largest annual decline ever, with shipments expected to drop 13.9% this year due to a severe memory chip shortage. Budget phones are hit hardest as chipmakers prioritize AI chips, while premium segments like Apple and Samsung show more resilience.
Samsung Electronics dominated smartphone sales in Central/South America, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia during Q1, driven by its Galaxy S26 and A series. The company secured significant market share in these regions despite overall market declines in some areas.
A screenshot of emails from 2015 reveals the origins of the partnership between Microsoft and OpenAI, showing a decade-long conversation between CEOs Satya Nadella and Sam Altman.
A 2015 email exchange between Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, shared by Tom Warren, reveals the origins of their strategic partnership, predating OpenAI's rise with ChatGPT. Notably, Nadella's emails were sent from a Windows Phone, highlighting Microsoft's past mobile endeavors.
Apple's newly appointed CEO John Ternus faces mounting challenges in China, the company's third-largest market, where net sales declined 4% to US$64.4 billion last year following an 8% drop in 2024. Analysts question whether Ternus can replicate predecessor Tim Cook's successful 'charm offensives' with Chinese consumers and government ministers as competition from local smartphone makers intensifies.
Huawei Technologies claimed the top spot in China’s smartphone market in the first quarter with its highest share in five years, while Apple saw the strongest growth among the top six players, despite a global memory chip crunch. Huawei held a 20 per cent share in the first three months, the highest since the fourth quarter of 2020, according to a Friday report by Counterpoint Research. Chinese government subsidies that offered a 15 per cent discount for gadgets under 6,000 yuan (US$880), along...
