Apple Scores 25 Percent Market Share In Chinese Urban Areas

China, particularly its urban areas, make up the biggest smartphone market in the world today. And it appears that Apple has managed to capture a quarter of all smartphone sales in that market.

According to Kantar Worldpanel ComTech, for the period spanning November 2014 to January 2015, Apple's market share in urban China is 25.4 percent. For the record, that is the biggest market share that the company has ever scored in that country. Last year, Apple only had a 17.4 market share in the same three-month period.

For about four years now, China has claimed the largest concentration of smartphone buyers anywhere in the world, with close to 520 million smartphone users according to the latest estimates. That is definitely a huge market, and Apple has really done well in penetrating it. Of course, it really helps that the tech giant has been working deals with major wireless carriers in China in trying to push its products to the Chinese population. By partnering with China Mobile, perhaps the world's biggest wireless carrier in terms of subscriber base, Apple got access to over 800 million customers. And even though the competition is tough -- Chinese phone makers are naturally hugely popular, with Xiaomi the leading smartphone brand -- Apple still managed to grab a sizable chunk of the market. Big credit goes to its new flagship device, the iPhone 6, which is currently the best selling smartphone in the country, with a market share of 9.5 percent. Xiaomi's RedMi Note device is following closely with a market share of 8.9 percent.

When it comes to mobile platforms, Android is still the leader in China, with a market share of 72.8 percent. Android may have continued its dominance, but its market share is down from 80.8 percent in the same period last year. 

In American soil, Apple is also relatively doing well. During the three months that ended in January, Apple's share of US smartphone sales grew to 42.8 percent, a clear improvement compared to its 39.2 percent market share year over year. Android's market share still trumps Apple's, but it has decreased to 51.9 percent from 55 percent last year. 

In Europe, particularly in the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain, Apple's share of smartphone sales increased to 21.9 percent (from 18.7 percent last year), while Android's has dipped to 67.2 percent (from 69.4 percent the previous year). The iPhone 6 remains the best selling smartphone in Britain, France, Germany, Italy, and Japan.