Apple iPhone Sales Appear Unstoppable

CounterPoint, the well-regarded electronics research firm, shows that, study after study, in China, the US, and globally, sales of the iPhone continue to outpace those of all competitors. The most recent data comes from a survey of smartphone buyers from the major wireless carriers.

The carriers include Verizon (NYSE: VZ | VZ Price Prediction), AT&T (NYSE: T), and T-Mobile. It is based on CounterPoint’s US Monthly Smartphone Channel Share Tracker. The figures cover the first quarter of the year.

Apple’s (NASDAQ: AAPL) share of sales among the “Big Three” was 75% in the first quarter of this year, compared with 72% for the same period a year ago. Any competition of consequence came from Samsung, which launched its Galaxy S26 late in the quarter, and Motorola.

This news is particularly bad for Google. It has hoped its Android OS would best the iOS that runs the iPhone. In some countries around the world, Android does well, but not in the US. Counterpoint pointed out that “Apple’s share of volume grew by 4% YoY, as Android device sales declined 14.4% YoY.” The late introduction of the Galaxy S26 would not have helped the Android figures.

Ultimately, however, the figures show the extent to which Apple’s lead cannot be dented. This is important to its earnings. In the quarter that ended March 28, iPhone sales in the “Americas” rose to $45.1 billion from $40.3 billion in the same quarter the year before. And “Americas” sales are 41% of the iPhone total.

Less than a year ago, there was anxiety among investors that the launch of the iPhone 17 without advanced AI features would undermine success. That did not happen, even though the situation persisted through early 2026 and will continue until after mid-year. At that point, Apple will team up with Google to upgrade Apple Intelligence and Siri. Apple will have dodged the massive costs to get an edge in AI data centers.

So far, the market has cheered Apple’s decision on AI. Its shares recently hit an all-time high. Yahoo reported yesterday that “Apple stock closed at a record high on Wednesday as tech stocks rebounded from a sell-off the previous day.” At $300, it is up 40% in the last year, compared to 27% for the S&P. That makes it the third most valuable company in the world with a market cap of $4.4 billion. And most of that run-up is on the back of the success of the iPhone.