Most of estimated 21M iOS devices in China concentrated in urban areas

A new analysis estimates that there were 21 million iPhones and iPads in China by the end of 2011 and notes that Apple appears to have reached an approximately 10 percent penetration rate with iOS in the country's biggest urban centers.

Stenvall Skoeld, a "strategic advisory firm" focusing on China, released a report (via The Next Web) late last week estimating Apple's penetration levels across geographic regions in the country. The analysis combined the firm's own intel with data from a variety of sources, including Morgan Stanley, Flurry Analytics and Umeng, a Chinese mobile research company.

According to the report, more than half of all iOS devices in China are located in a handful of provinces and cities. Guangdong province was listed as having the most iOS devices at 13.42 percent, followed by Beijing with 10.38 percent. Shanhai, Zhejian and Jiangsu rounded out the top five. The western province of Tibet was estimated to have the lowest share of iOS devices at .10 percent.

Apple is believed to have reached a penetration rate of 11 percent in Beijing and 9.4 percent in Shanghai. Tianjin was the third-most penetrated city with a rate of 4.4 percent, according to the report.

Flurry recently declared China as the global leader in iOS and Android device activations. A separate analysis late last year named China as having passed the U.S. to become the world's largest smartphone market.

The number of iOS devices in China may actually be much higher than Stenvall Skoeld reports, as China Mobile claims to have 15 million iPhone users on its network in spite of the fact that the carrier does not officially sell the device.

Apple has indicated in the past that the Chinese market is a key focus area for the company. Apple CEO Tim Cook said last year that the iPhone maker is "just scratching the surface" in the region.

As further evidence of the strategic role that China plays for Apple, Cook just returned from a visit o the country. During his trip, he met with high-level governmental officials and visited an iPhone production line at a Foxconn plant in Zhengzhou.

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10 Comments

nairb 253 comments · 14 Years

About 12 years ago

This is a bit of a shock. I thought it would be the poverty stricken farmers that rushed out to buy an iPhone and iPad.

arthurascii 57 comments · 17 Years

Quote:

Most of estimated 21M iOS devices in China concentrated in urban areas

Yes. That is where the people are. Or do the herds of iPhones roam freely across the vast emptiness of the plains on your planet?

drblank 3384 comments · 18 Years

It wouldn't surprise me if the two big cell carriers started carrying Apple products when the iPhone 5 gets released later this year. That will make a HUGE increase in Apple in China.

I think that Apple will do quite well, since Apple is going to focus on their market.

macquest 30 comments · 13 Years

Originally Posted by Nairb

This is a bit of a shock. I thought it would be the poverty stricken farmers that rushed out to buy an iPhone and iPad.

Don't be silly.

It's obviously all the chinese kids selling their organs that are buying Apple's products.

fairthrope 249 comments · 13 Years

Originally Posted by drblank

It wouldn't surprise me if the two big cell carriers started carrying Apple products when the iPhone 5 gets released later this year. That will make a HUGE increase in Apple in China.

I think that Apple will do quite well, since Apple is going to focus on their market.

How long Apple China can wait to get out of the coast and into the mainland? Coastal province markets are now as red ocean as they come.

The quicker Apple can get inland before homegrown handsets or even Samsung snatch all early adopters and well-off customers, the better. Fake Apple stores and hawkers cannot keep inland buyers happy for long.

Serious note, anyone has at least a ballpark estimate when they can start selling at least iPhone4 there?