Apple's share of profits raked in by the world's top publicly-traded mobile phone vendors rose once again this quarter, as asymco's Horace Dediu notes in the latest edition of his quarterly tracking reports. According to Dediu's calculations, Apple's share of profits among the eight companies tracked rose to 66%, up from 57% last quarter.
This quarter saw a slight sequential decline in overall profit for the sector, but four vendors did not manage a profit from selling phones. Nokia, Motorola, Sony-Ericsson and LG all saw losses. The other vendors split the slightly decreased pie with Apple getting two thirds of it (66.3%)
This share is up from 57% in Q1 and 50% in Q3 and Q4. Samsung’s share went to 15%, though that’s not a peak level historically. In Q1 2008 the company was at 21%. RIM was at 11%, a level in a range that has been unchanged for three years. Finally, HTC captured 7.4%, a new high and an increase from 6% since last quarter.
Dediu notes that smartphones have become the primary driver of mobile phone vendor profitability, giving Apple a significant edge over most of the competition with its smartphone-only offerings.
Apple first grabbed the profit share lead from Nokia way back in the fourth quarter of 2008, and hit the 50% mark a year ago in the third quarter of 2010. Apple of course only holds about 5.6% unit share in the total mobile phone market, but earns much more profit on its premium-priced iPhones than other vendors do with their offerings.
Apple's next-generation iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are less than three months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices.
Apple is expected to launch the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max in September this year.
Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models:Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an...
The long wait for an Apple Watch Ultra 3 appears to be nearly over, and it is rumored to feature both satellite connectivity and 5G support.
Apple Watch Ultra's existing Night Mode
In his latest Power On newsletter, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that the Apple Watch Ultra 3 is on track to launch this year with "significant" new features, including satellite connectivity, which would let you...
The upcoming iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are rumored to have a slightly different MagSafe magnet layout compared to existing iPhone models, and a leaked photo has offered a closer look at the supposed new design.
The leaker Majin Bu today shared a photo of alleged MagSafe magnet arrays for third-party iPhone 17 Pro cases. On existing iPhone models with MagSafe, the magnets form a...
iOS 26 and iPadOS 26 add a smaller yet useful Wi-Fi feature to iPhones and iPads.
As spotted by Creative Strategies analyst Max Weinbach, sign-in details for captive Wi-Fi networks are now synced across iPhones and iPads running iOS 26 and iPadOS 26. For example, while Weinbach was staying at a Hilton hotel, his iPhone prompted him to fill in Wi-Fi details from his iPad that was already...
The iPhone 17 Pro Max will feature the biggest ever battery in an iPhone, according to the Weibo leaker known as "Instant Digital."
In a new post, the leaker listed the battery capacities of the iPhone 11 Pro Max through to the iPhone 16 Pro Max, and added that the iPhone 17 Pro Max will feature a battery capacity of 5,000mAh:
iPhone 11 Pro Max: 3,969mAh
iPhone 12 Pro Max: 3,687mAh...
Apple today seeded the second betas of upcoming iOS 18.6 and iPadOS 18.6 updates to public beta testers, with the betas coming just a day after Apple provided the betas to developers. Apple has also released a second beta of macOS Sequoia 15.6.
Testers who have signed up for beta updates through Apple's beta site can download iOS 18.6 and iPadOS 18.6 from the Settings app on a compatible...
Apple is developing a MacBook with the A18 Pro chip, according to findings in backend code uncovered by MacRumors.
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Earlier today, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reported that Apple is planning to launch a low-cost MacBook powered by an iPhone chip. The machine is expected to feature a 13-inch display, the A18 Pro chip, and color options...
Wouldn't it be nice if they lowered their prices a bit instead of lining their pockets? Now that would be something to praise them for, not this idiotic bragging about how much money they make. Why don't most Apple customers think like normal consumers? All they think about is, I want Apple to make lots of money? Strange.
That is the most ridiculous thing I keep hearing from people that have no idea what goes on in the world. Seriously no one, not ONE single person just throws their money at Apple because they want Apple to make money.
People buy Apple products because, dare I say it, they are GOOD products! People don't just buy Apple because its Apple. That idea is nothing but a myth stirred up by the people who hate Apple and its users for no reason.
By your same token of thought I could say that people who buy MS products because they enjoy them throw their money at MS only because they want MS to succeed. Doesn't make much sense when you reverse it does it?
I am just sick of these comments, its all thats on Macrumors anymore.
Wouldn't it be nice if they lowered their prices a bit instead of lining their pockets? Now that would be something to praise them for, not this idiotic bragging about how much money they make. Why don't most Apple customers think like normal consumers? All they think about is, I want Apple to make lots of money? Strange.
Companies are in business to make as much money as they can.... that is the point.
Wouldn't it be nice if they lowered their prices a bit instead of lining their pockets? Now that would be something to praise them for, not this idiotic bragging about how much money they make. Why don't most Apple customers think like normal consumers? All they think about is, I want Apple to make lots of money? Strange.
My previous, and first laptop, was a Dell. It gave me a ton of grief. My previous, and first router, was a Linksys. It gave me a ton of grief. My previous phones were Nokia, Sanyo, and Samsung flip phones. They worked as dumb phones but their firmware was never updated despite regular bugs in the software. Support for hardware issues was a pain because most stores weren't 'corporate' stores and could not swap out your phone for a new one at the time.
I now have a MacBook (early '08), an iPhone 3G and 4, an Airport Extreme, and an iPad 2. They give me as close to zero grief as one could hope for. I'm not simply 'lining their pockets', I'm paying for a quality product that is well designed and supported just as well. To me it's worth it.
If you have an iPhone and no APPL stock, you're paying a huge premium to be part of the club.
Clarification needed: what huge premium is that, exactly? Are there phones as good as the iPhone 4, with as good a screen and camera and the same selection/quality of apps, and the same ease of use and battery life, or even other features that truly compensate for lacking those... and that cost a “huge” amount less? What does that huge amount come to per month, spread over 2-3 years?
I’d hate to think I was paying for a “club” and not for the apps and OS and hardware that are serving me so amazingly well, compared to the frustrations and “good enough I guess” experiences I see Android users constantly facing. (Seriously, I can’t even reach them half the time because their batteries are dead! And their handsets keep being made obsolete and receiving no further updates WAY too early.)
I wonder... maybe Apple gets great manufacturing/component deals, rather than simply overpricing... nah. Crazy talk! :)
Pretty good marketing to be able to convince users that a company making 50+% profit on every sale is good for the users of that product.
...If you have an iPhone and no APPL stock, you're paying a huge premium to be part of the club.
...
This doesn't "drive innovation" so much as it drives up dividends for rich people.
Using the same logic, you're getting a great deal if you own an LG or a Nokia device?
For iOS users it's still a great news even if they don't own Apple stock because it guarantees the company will stay afloat and there'll be active development and support on the products and the platform.
Biggest design overhaul since iOS 7 with Liquid Glass, plus new Apple Intelligence features and improvements to Messages, Phone, Safari, Shortcuts, and more. Developer beta available now ahead of public beta in July.