Apple sails through market slump, claims top spot

IPhone-maker Apple led global smartphone shipments in the first quarter of 2026, growing 5% year-on-year, even as overall shipments fell due to a shortage of memory components, Counterpoint Research said on Friday.

Global smartphone shipments fell 6% from a year earlier as Middle East tensions also weighed on consumer sentiment, the research firm said.

* Apple led the smartphone market for the first time in a first quarter with a 21% market share, Counterpoint said.