Source: Apple
What you need to know
- Apple was the second-biggest producer of smartphones behind Samsung in 2020.
- 2020 saw a record-breaking fall in manufacturing due to the pandemic.
A new report says that Apple was the second-biggest producer of smartphones such as the iPhone 12 in 2020 behind Samsung, in a year that saw a record-breaking fall in production.
Owing to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, global smartphone production reached a mere 1.25 billion units in 2020, a record-breaking 11% YoY decrease, according to TrendForce's latest investigations. The top six smartphone brands ranked by production volume for 2020, in order, are Samsung, Apple, Huawei, Xiaomi, OPPO, and Vivo. The most glaring change from the previous year is Huawei's market share.
TrendForces says the global smartphone market will "gradually recover" in 2021 as people adjust to the "new normals" of the pandemic, and that it further expects a "relatively strong wave of device replacement demand" and growth in emerging markets. As such, it expects 2021 smartphone production to increase by 9% to 1.36 billion units, not quite enough to reverse 2020's decline, but a fair step on the road to recovery.
Regarding Apple, TrendForce says that as in 2020, 2021 will see the company remain the second-largest producer of smartphones behind Samsung. The only change to the top six, according to the research, says that Huawei will drop out of the top ranks to be replaced by Transsion. These 6 will account for some 80% of the world's global smartphone market.
Research from TF suggests Apple produced some 199 million devices in 2020, capturing 31% of the market share. Pushing it just ahead of Huawei's 30% share globally.
The news reflects reports that just two weeks after launch the iPhone 12 was the number one 5G smartphone in the world.

Apple still can't keep up with iPhone 12 Pro demand
Morgan Stanley's Katy Huberty says that Apple has slashed 2M iPhone 12 mini units so it can try to keep up with iPhone 12 Pro demand.

Linux now 'completely usable' on M1 Mac mini
Corellium's Chris Wade says Linux is now "completely usable" on the M1 Mac mini when booting from a USB stick.

Apple could announce first-ever $100B quarter at January earnings call
Multiple reports note that Apple could announce its first-ever quarter with $100 billion sales.

Never run out of juice when you carry a battery case for your iPhone 12
If you stay busy travelling or working long hours, that iPhone 12 battery just isn't enough to get you through a really long day. Never run out of juice when you keep it equipped with a handy battery case for extra charging on the go.