Apple pivots to emerging markets for future growth
Access this insight with a Premium plan. Contact our sales team to get started.
Apple has announced a vast geographic expansion of its services businesses - including its App Store and Apple Music - to a range of developing countries, principally in Africa and Asia. On the face of it, this could be seen as puzzling considering many of the countries have exceptionally low incomes and therefore low purchasing power for paid-for services, let alone an iPhone. This is, though, an attempt by Apple to establish its brand and mindshare among mid- to high-income consumers already plugged in to mobile, even if they are not in Apple’s ecosystem - and most will not be. Apple is targeting the mostly youthful and non-English speaking populations within these markets to future-proof its services footprint (which now accounts for 15% of revenue) and accelerate the development of local content.
Report details
Apple pivots to emerging markets for future growth
Report details
Apple pivots to emerging markets for future growth
Related research
Industry Checkpoint: consumer digital services, Q1 2026
This edition of the Industry Checkpoint series focuses on consumer digital services, highlighting how the market has changed in the last six months and its implications. The report considers three major developments: fresh momentum for consumer XR due to important releases from major tech players; AI agents breaking out in consumer digital services; and major digital gaming providers putting cloud gaming in an unprecedented position to challenge console gaming.
Deutsche Telekom: Targeting the smart home as a value-added consumer service for the digital home
Operator strategies continue to evolve in the digital era as the telecoms industry seeks to capture new growth opportunities in the consumer and enterprise markets. Assessing innovation and achievements is more important than ever before. GSMA Intelligence's operator case studies provide a concise and consistent way to shine a light on and analyse operators' strategies and business models, as well as how they are launching new services. This edition highlights how Deutsche Telekom’s smart home offering is part of its wider strategy to transform into a leading digital telco.
EE: Providing digital services with an eye on consumer revenue growth
Operator strategies continue to evolve in the digital era as the telecoms industry seeks to capture new growth opportunities in the consumer and enterprise markets. Assessing innovation and achievements is more important than ever before. GSMA Intelligence's operator case studies provide a concise and consistent way to shine a light on and analyse operators' strategies and business models, as well as how they are launching new services. This edition highlights how EE is offering consumers a range of own-brand and third-party mobile digital services.
Authors
How to access this report
Annual subscription: Subscribe to our research modules for comprehensive access to more than 200 reports per year.
Enquire about subscriptionContact our research team
Get in touch with us to find out more about our research topics and analysis.
Contact our research teamMedia
To cite our research, please see our citation policy in our Terms of Use, or contact our Media team for more information.
Learn more- 200 reports a year
- 50 million data points
- Over 350 metrics
How can we support you?
Get in touch
Contact the GSMA Intelligence support team for help with your account, subscriptions, or access to reports and insights.
Newsletter
Subscribe to the GSMA Intelligence newsletter for the latest industry news and insights, delivered to your inbox.
