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TechApple

How’s Apple doing in China? This chart is worth 1,000 words.

By
Philip Elmer-DeWitt
Philip Elmer-DeWitt
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By
Philip Elmer-DeWitt
Philip Elmer-DeWitt
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October 14, 2015, 1:33 PM ET

Apple’s growth in China may have slowed after last year’s sprint, but consider the competition.

Consider, specifically, the chart above, posted over the weekend by Morgan Stanley analyst Katy Huberty. It shows, based on Internet searches and social media data, which phones the Chinese seem to want to buy.

What’s happened to mighty Samsung? What’s Xiaomi’s problem? Where’s Lenovo?

Apple was slow to bring a jumbo iPhone to the world’s largest market for mobile phones. And it took the company years to finally cut a deal with China Mobile to distribute Apple’s smartphone on the world’s largest mobile network.

Now the pieces are in place.

Follow Philip Elmer-DeWitt on Twitter at @philiped. Read his Apple (AAPL) coverage at fortune.com/ped or subscribe via his RSS feed.

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By Philip Elmer-DeWitt
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