There's a lot of rumors floating around, but none of them suggest Apple is developing a time travel device by which Tim Cook will travel back in time and convince himself not to release the iPhone 5. So I don't think the market position pre-iPhone 5 matters much, just like BB's current position won't matter if its current lineup becomes a huge success.
I think they should set up a feedback system like that of Spotify! That must be one of the best feedback system ever!
No Time travel required:
Apple treading water in China despite iPhone 5 launch | CITEworld
Despite the launch of the iPhone 5 in December in China, Apple's smartphone market share in the nation barely grew during last year's fourth quarter, according to research firm Canalys.
The company remained the sixth largest smartphone vendor, a position it held in the third quarter. Its market share increased to 8.5 percent in China in the fourth quarter, up 0.5 percent from the previous quarter, said Canalys analyst Nicole Peng on Friday.
In contrast, competitor Samsung took the top spot, with a 16 percent market share, followed by Chinese vendors Lenovo, Yulong, Huawei, and ZTE.
To be fair ... Apple made good $$ in China on lower sales.