The fact that Apple’s iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus have been monster hits in all of their launch countries thus far isn’t a surprise. What is surprising, however, are reports that preorders for the new Apple smartphones are outpacing orders for Samsung’s Galaxy Note 4 in South Korea, where Samsung is headquartered. Analysts are predicting that preorders for the new iPhones have topped 100,000 units since Friday, according to The Wall Street Journal. In comparison, the Galaxy Note 4 had 30,000 preorders over a similar time frame.
Is Apple Inc.’s smartphone market share set to increase in Samsungland? Presales figures for the U.S. company’s latest, large-screen models in South Korea suggest so. On Friday, the country’s three mobile carriers began taking orders for both the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. In less than an hour, the carriers reported that orders had reached tens of thousands, outpacing the rate reported for Samsung Electronics Co.’s Galaxy Note 4 model at its launch here in September. KT Corp., the first telecom company to introduce the iPhone to the Korean market, said the iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus models together racked up 10,000 orders in one minute, and in thirty minutes topped 50,000 orders. LG Uplus Corp., which is selling the iPhone for the first time, said it received 20,000 orders for the new iPhones within 20 minutes.
