China Overtakes U.S. in iOS Downloads During Q1 (AAPL)

Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) is seeing some strong mobile growth in one of its key markets, according to the latest App Annie data.

App Annie noted that China has now surpasses the U.S. in terms of iOS downloads. The firm commented:

In Q1 2015, iOS downloads in China overtook those in the United States. China’s surge may have been partially caused by the recent launch of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus. While both the United States and China are two of Apple’s strongest markets, demand for smartphones with larger screens seems to be particularly high in Asia. In Q4 2014, shipments of smartphones with screen sizes between 5 and 7 inches constituted roughly 60% of total smartphone shipments in China as compared to roughly 40% Worldwide and in the United States. Thanks to this, the iPhone’s share of the smartphone installed base crossed 7% in 2014 (Source: IDC, Smartphone Tracker, April 2015).

Looking at categories, China’s ascendance was primarily driven by downloads of Games and Photo & Video apps. Pitu , published by internet giant Tencent, became one of China’s most popular photo apps in Q1 2015 thanks to its easy to use beauty, make-­up and cosplay filters. Photo sharing apps like IN and Fotoplace also performed well in the quarter.

China also saw strong growth in iOS revenue, but the United States continued to lead in this metric.

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