Apple can’t beat Xiaomi in China even with the iPhone 6

Apple’s iPhone 6 has been a hit in China, but according to one account, rival Xiaomi still reigns as the country’s largest smartphone vendor. In last year’s fourth quarter, Android handset maker Xiaomi had a 13.7 percent share, while second place Apple only had a 12.3 percent share, research firm IDC said Monday. The rankings are, however, different from those of another research firm Canalys, which put Apple as the top vendor, and Xiaomi second. Apple achieved in the fourth quarter its highest quarterly market share in China over the past two years, and it came from strong demand for its newest iPhone, said Xiaohan Tay, an IDC analyst. Chinese consumers have been hungry for bigger-screen smartphones, and so the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus were expected to fare well in the market, despite their high price tags. In China, the iPhone 6 starts at 5288 yuan (US$862), when bought without carrier subsidies.