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.
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.
Friday March 24, 2023 12:27 am PDT by Tim Hardwick
This year, all iPhone 15 models will include Apple's Dynamic Island that unifies the pill and hole cutouts at the top of the display, but there will also be a material change to the feature that wasn't included in the iPhone 14 Pro models.
According to a new tweet by Apple industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the proximity sensor on the iPhone 15 series will be integrated inside the Dynamic Island ...
Thursday March 23, 2023 3:41 am PDT by Tim Hardwick
Apple is tracking the attendance of its employees at offices using badge records in order to ensure they are coming in at least three times a week, according to Platformer's Zoë Schiffer.
Since April 2022, Apple employees have been operating on a hybrid home/office work policy as part of a gradual return strategy following the pandemic, with staff required to work from the office at least...
Thursday March 23, 2023 6:42 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
While the iPhone 15 series is still around six months away from launching, there have already been plenty of rumors about the devices. Many new features and changes have been rumored for the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max in particular.
Below, we have recapped 10 changes rumored for iPhone 15 Pro models that are not expected to be available on the standard iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus:A1...
Wednesday March 22, 2023 9:48 am PDT by Juli Clover
Nothing today announced the launch of its second-generation wireless earbuds, the Nothing Ear (2), which offer many of the same features as Apple's AirPods Pro 2 at a lower price point. We went hands-on with the Ear (2) earbuds to see whether they're a viable alternative to the AirPods Pro 2 for those who want to save some cash.
The Ear (2) earbuds are the successor to the Nothing Ear (1),...
Thursday March 23, 2023 12:06 pm PDT by Juli Clover
Apple is no longer allowing customers who purchase an iPhone, cellular iPad, or Apple Watch to activate a device with now-defunct mobile carrier Sprint. Apple has also removed remaining references to Sprint from its online store.
When checking out with a new purchase, Sprint is no longer an option for connectivity, a change that Apple appears to have implemented today. Prior to now, Sprint...
Apple says iOS 16.4 is coming in the spring, which began this week. In his Sunday newsletter, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said the update should be released "in the next three weeks or so," meaning a public release is likely in late March or early April.
iOS 16.4 remains in beta testing and introduces a handful of new features and changes for the iPhone. Below, we have recapped five new features ...
We saw a lot of great deals on Apple products and related accessories this week, including Samsung's iMac-like Smart Monitor M8 for $250 off, a 30 percent off spring sale at Anker, and the year's best prices on numerous AirPods models. All of these deals are still available to purchase right now, so we're recapping them and more below.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these ...
We're still almost six months away from the official unveiling of the iPhone 15 lineup, but it seems like every day we're learning more about what to expect from the next-generation models. Notably, this week gave us our clearest look yet at what appear to be some changes for the volume and mute control hardware.
iOS 16.4 and associated releases are also right around the corner with some new ...
Apple on January 23 released iOS 16.3, delivering support for Security Keys for Apple IDs, changes to Emergency SOS functionality, support for the second-generation HomePod, and more.
Top Rated Comments
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.
I kinda figured I'd have to pay money to get one.
I didn't realize paying for stuff wasn't cool.
Companies are in business to make as much money as they can.... that is the point.
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.
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! :)
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.