iPhone Global Shipments Surpass 1.6 Billion Units Since Launch

Apple Inc. has reached a remarkable milestone, with global shipments of iPhones since the device’s debut. According to Stocklytics.com, iPhone global shipments have exceeded 1.6 billion units since 2007.

The site’s financial analyst, Edith Reads, comments:

Apple has released many iPhone models, each bringing enhancements like AI features, a Retina display, and advanced cameras. These innovations have set industry benchmarks and kept consumer interest high, driving impressive shipment figures.

Stocklytics financial analyst, Edith Reads

Global Apple iPhone Shipments Since 2007

In its first year on the market, Apple sold over 1.4 million iPhones. By 2008, the company had shipped more than 8 million units; by 2010, shipments soared to 24 million units. 

Between 2007 and 2010, Apple experienced an astounding 1,614% increase in iPhone shipments, highlighting the device’s significant impact on both consumers and the company’s early growth.

The momentum continued, with iPhone shipments rapidly escalating to 51 million units in 2012 and reaching 88 million units in 2014, a 73% increase in just two years. By 2015, Apple had shipped its first 100 million units, with approximately 101 million iPhones sold that year alone. This marked the beginning of a new era, with Apple selling hundreds of millions of iPhones annually in the following years.

In 2023, the company closed with over 153 million units sold, its highest yearly sale yet. However, in 2024, Apple sold only 50.1 million iPhones in its first quarter, a 38% drop from the previous quarter. Moreover, in Q2 ’24, the company’s iPhone shipments slumped, recording only 45.7 million units, an almost 9% drop from Q1’s.

Why Apple iPhone Sales Dwindled in 2024?

Early into 2024, Apple’s market shares in China fell, with competitors eating into its standings. Local rivals, including Xiaomi and Vivo, gained significantly, putting pressure on Apple. 

In Q2 ’24, Xiaomi shipped 42.3 million units, and Vivo sold 25.9 million smartphones, with their respective market shares growing to 14.8% and 9.1%, challenging Apple’s 15.8%. Additionally, Oppo sold over 25.8 million smartphones in Q2, bringing its global market shares to 9.0%. 

Nabila Popal, senior research director with IDC’s Worldwide Tracker team, commented on the growing smartphone competition, “While recovery is well underway with the top 5 companies all making year-over-year gains, we are seeing increasing competition amongst the leaders and polarization of price bands. As Apple and Samsung continue to push the top of the market and benefit the most from the ongoing premiumization trend, many leading Chinese OEMs are increasing shipments in the low end to capture volume share amidst weak demand. As a result, the share of mid-range devices is challenged.”

Furthermore, Apple’s iPhone sales in China plummeted following the Chinese government ban on its devices in some of its workplaces. The government expanded the prohibition of iPhones to local government workers and state-owned companies to counter its reliance on US tech, which heavily affected iPhone sales.