Global smartphone unit shipments of Apple 2010-2024, by quarter

56 million iPhones were shipped during the third quarter of 2024, nearly a five million unit increase compared to the previous quarter and a 2.5 million increase compared to the same quarter in the previous year. There has been a tendency of increased Apple smartphone shipments in the fourth quarters every year since 2011. 

 iPhones in the global smartphones picture

After it’s release in 2007, iPhone has gained solid ground in the global smartphone market, with market share fluctuating between 10 to 20 percent in recent years. As of the third quarter of 2024, Apple’s iPhones sales composed over 18 percent of the total global smartphones sales. 

 COVID-19 impact

   With the outbreak of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), shipments of various high-tech products were expected to stagnate during the first quarter of 2020, according to revised forecasts from March 26, 2020. Fewer smartphone units were expected to be shipped over the course of 2020, compared to previous forecasts. In 2021, however, Apple shipped more units globally than ever before.