Apple in a strategic bind: A regular column on the information industries

According to IDC, total smartphone market shipments rose by 9.8 per cent during 2015 to 1,433 million - a figure very similar to that cited by rival Strategy Analytics. iOS accounted for 232 million - a 20 per cent increase in 2014 - and hence its market share rose to 16.2 per cent, whereas the leading Android vendor, Samsung, accounted for 325 million, only just ahead of its total shipments in 2014. [...]there is no need for Apple (and its shareholders) to panic - at least, not until the prospects for the iPhone SE become clearer - but the one certain thing is that Apple cannot simply continue to rely upon the strategy that has underpinned its massive success over the past decade.