Sony Extends Lead Over Apple in Japan as Discounts Drive Sales
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Sony Corp.’s share of Japan’s smartphone market rose to a three-year high, widening its lead over Apple Inc., as new models and a discount program from the nation’s largest wireless carrier NTT DoCoMo Inc. stoke sales.
Sony has more than doubled its share of shipments to 36 percent in the past four weeks as Apple dropped to 25 percent in the same period, according to researcher BCN Inc. DoCoMo, with more than 60 million subscribers in a nation of 127 million people, is focusing on just two handsets for promotions to cut costs as it remains the only carrier that doesn’t sell iPhones.