We do know that BlackBerry has ceased operations in Japan and will no longer support it in that part of the world, but there is another device in the ascendant – the Apple iPhone, of course. In fact, Apple is now the leader in the Japanese smartphone market for the first time ever, as in the fourth quarter of 2012, the Apple iPhone managed to hold 16% of the Japanese market, meaning it has conquered 15% of the smartphone pie in the Land of the Rising Sun. Of course, Apple did overtake Sharp in the past before, but they were duly overtaken shortly afterwards.
Both home grown LG and Samsung, too, have increased their market share in Japan as well for 2012, marking the first time ever that foreign brands where smartphones are concerned have exceeded 50% for the first time. Chinese manufacturer Huawei also experienced good times by tripling its market share, while local manufacturers such as Sharp and Fujitsu saw a decline in their market share at just 14% overall. You’d notice that the BlackBerry does not feature at all, and Windows Phone? That’s but a dream still.