Japan iPhone Shipments Dip 10.6% In 2015, 1st Drop Since 2008 Debut

Shipments of Apple Inc.’s iPhones in Japan fell 10.6 percent in 2015 from the previous year to 14.73 million units, marking the first drop since they went on sale in the country in 2008, a private research company said Saturday.

The decline was attributable to sluggish sales of new iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus smartphones that went on sale last fall, according to MM Research Institute Ltd.

While Apple still dominates the Japanese mobile phone market, its share was trimmed to 41.2 percent from 43.1 percent in 2014. Sony came second with a 13.9 percent market share, followed by Sharp at 11.9 percent. (PNA/Kyodo) LGI/SSC