Apple Cuts Orders for iPhone Parts - WSJ.com

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Apple has cut its orders for components for the iPhone 5 due to weaker-than-expected demand, at a time when the U.S. company faces greater competition from rival Samsung.

"While Apple has set the agenda for the smartphone market since it released its first iPhone in 2007, South Korea's Samsung, which sells many Android-based models at various price points, has already overtaken the U.S. company as the world's largest smartphone vendor by market share. Demand is also growing for inexpensive smartphones from Chinese makers such as Huawei Technologies Co.

In the 2012 third quarter, Apple held 14.6% of world-wide smartphone shipments, down from a peak of 23% in the fourth quarter of 2011 and the first quarter of 2012, according to IDC.

Samsung's share, meanwhile, rose to 31.3% in the third quarter of 2012, compared with 8.8% in the third quarter of 2010."  Apple Cuts Orders for iPhone Parts - WSJ.com