Apple's iPhone reaps dominant 92% of handset industry's profits

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Comments

  • Reply 41 of 90
    asterion wrote: »
    Er... Headline says "profits". Article says "operating income".

    These are not the same...

    Yes, but to the extent that operating income is pre-tax profit from the core operating business of selling handsets, it is a very relevant measure. In fact, in many ways, it is a more relevant measure, since it excludes all kinds of crazy non-operating and financial income BS, and removes the effect of taxes (which can vary dramatically from country to country) which are what get involved when you focus on 'net income' or 'profit.'
  • Reply 42 of 90

    A couple years ago Apple and Samsung were pretty much tied for profits.

     

    Now Apple has climbed and Samsung has dipped by roughly the same amounts.

     

    Do people think this is a coincidence? I hear haters all the time claiming Samsung is losing because there are more choices for Android devices at the high end and also because the Chinese are killing them at the low end. They just don't want to admit the REAL reason for Samsung's struggles.

     

    And that reason is simple: The iPhone is crushing Samsung. It's why Samsung has been slipping in revenues and profits for the past 5 quarters. People just don't want to admit it, but the numbers don't lie. Apple is DIRECTLY responsible for Samsung profits taking a nosedive.

  • Reply 43 of 90
    apple ][apple ][ Posts: 9,233member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by SirLance99 View Post





    What a boring fucking world that would be to only have Apple to choose from for a mobile device. Extremely boring. To the point of the 1984 ad Apple is so famous for being against. I know in your small little bubble of a world that you only think Apple can do anything good and only use Apple but there are still billions of people who get along just fine without Apple or never want to use Apple. Competition is a good thing. Apple wouldn't be where they are today if it wasn't for other companies inventing the tech they use to make Apple products.



    I want Apple to continue to do well but no way in hell would I ever want them to be the only one. Plus the other companies are still making money otherwise they wouldn't continue to be building phones year after year.



    I didn't say anything about there not being any other players in the market. I just want Android to be destroyed, that's all. If somebody comes up with a completely different type of phone or OS that's truly unique and different from everything else, then good for them!

     

    I see this as a fullfillment of Steve Job's wishes for thermonuclear war, and it's pretty clear that Apple has won that war. We have all seen that lawsuits against copycats and others for infringement are not the right way to go if somebody wishes to win a war. Apple has won the war economically, and that's what counts.

     

    If Android were to disappear, I would not shed a single tear! I would be overjoyed!:smokey:

  • Reply 44 of 90
    gatorguygatorguy Posts: 24,213member
    sog35 wrote: »
    No its not.  Some companies are just in denial and don't want to shutdown their smartphone business until their forced too by their BOD or a new CEO.  Show me another company that makes a profit selling smartphones besides Apple/Samdung.  There isn't any.  But these companies like HTC/Sony keep making phones because they think they will eventually get a gold pot at the end of the rainbow.  

    Please link that article.  I doubt that's true.
    Search engines really aren't that hard to use. Did you even try to look it up for yourself? I would think by now you'd recognize that I don't just make stuff up out of thin air as IMO some here too often seem prone to do.
    http://techcrunch.com/2015/01/28/lg-q4-2014/
    http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/03/25/zte-results-idUSL3N0WP24Z20150325
    http://www.bbc.com/news/business-31105772
    http://www.phonearena.com/news/Sony-sells-12-million-Xperias-in-Q4-smartphone-division-swings-to-profit_id65568
  • Reply 45 of 90
    sirlance99sirlance99 Posts: 1,293member
    A couple years ago Apple and Samsung were pretty much tied for profits.

    Now Apple has climbed and Samsung has dipped by roughly the same amounts.

    Do people think this is a coincidence? I hear haters all the time claiming Samsung is losing because there are more choices for Android devices at the high end and also because the Chinese are killing them at the low end. They just don't want to admit the REAL reason for Samsung's struggles.

    And that reason is simple: The iPhone is crushing Samsung. It's why Samsung has been slipping in revenues and profits for the past 5 quarters. People just don't want to admit it, but the numbers don't lie. Apple is DIRECTLY responsible for Samsung profits taking a nosedive.

    I'll agree with you about this.
    apple ][ wrote: »

    I didn't say anything about there not being any other players in the market. I just want Android to be destroyed, that's all. If somebody comes up with a completely different type of phone or OS that's truly unique and different from everything else, then good for them!

    I see this as a fullfillment of Steve Job's wishes for thermonuclear war, and it's pretty clear that Apple has won that war. We have all seen that lawsuits against copycats and others for infringement are not the right way to go if somebody wishes to win a war. Apple has won the war economically, and that's what counts.

    If Android were to disappear, I would not shed a single tear! I would be overjoyed!:smokey:

    Gotcha! What other OS is there right now though that is in real competition? There really isn't one. Although, all OSs are pretty similar in many ways borrowing from each other. One OS will come up with something and the other OS will do the same thing but with a twist. Apple has come up with some great things in iOS but didn't come up with it all and has most certainly borrowed ideas for others.

    Android isn't going away anytime in the near future just as iOS isn't. I know you want Android to go away but it isn't. Remember, there are other people that think exactly how you think but against Apple. It really shouldn't matter anyways as you use what you use and are happy with it and you shouldn't let what other people use bother you so much.

    I use my iPhone 6 Plus and people ask me about it all the time and I give them a fair opinion on it. Some things are fantastic some aren't. Overall I enjoy using except for a few major annoying things like apps refreshing every gosh darn time. My girlfriend, soon to be fiancee, hates her iPhone 6 Plus I bought her and never wants one again. She came from Windows Phone.
  • Reply 46 of 90
    foggyhillfoggyhill Posts: 4,767member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by addicted44 View Post

     

    Samsung actually makes about 15% of the profit. Samsung + Apple > 100% profit share because everyone else is making losses.


     

    LG posted a profit last year, a few hundred million I think 1-2%, so it is even worse for the rest... No wonder MS shut things down.

    The LG G2, G3 gained a bit of traction  on Samsung.

    But, thats what the said, hard to know exactly if thats true in those company which make 100 products.

    Same thing for Samsung, hard to know how bad the mobile business is for them; although it seems its plenty bad...

  • Reply 47 of 90
    gatorguygatorguy Posts: 24,213member
    sog35 wrote: »
    but that was profit for the ENTIRE company including TV's.  They could have easily lost money on mobile phones.  We don't know since they don't report operating profit for mobile phones seperately.

    My guess is they did not make profit on mobile phones or else they would have proudly said so.
    http://www.androidauthority.com/lg-q1-2015-financial-results-604877/
  • Reply 48 of 90
    chadbagchadbag Posts: 2,000member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by SirLance99 View Post



    My girlfriend, soon to be fiancee, hates her iPhone 6 Plus I bought her and never wants one again. She came from Windows Phone.

     

    Hopefully she says yes.  Congrats!

     

    I personally hope Android goes and Windows Phone becomes the second tier OS instead of Android.  It is "refreshing" and "different", though I personally have 0 interest in it.

  • Reply 49 of 90
    gatorguygatorguy Posts: 24,213member
    sog35 wrote: »
    No where in that article does it mention smartphone/mobile operating profit for the quarter.

    NEXT.
    Search engines really can be your friend. If you don't want to know then just don't look of course.

    From this year:
    "The mobile division posted a profit of $68.3 million, recovering from a $6.84 million loss a year ago. It was LG's fourth consecutive quarter of positive earnings for the unit. LG had a 2 percent operating profit margin in the mobile business, up slightly from the fourth quarter of 2014."
    http://www.fiercewireless.com/story/lg-sees-n-america-handset-sales-jump-66-q1-it-gears-g4-launch/2015-04-29

    and even from last year:
    "The hardware manufacturer recorded sales of KRW 3.6 trillion ($3.5 billion) from the mobile division, the highest since 2010. The mobile unit also saw an operating profit of KRW 85.9 billion ($83.4 million) bringing an end to three consecutive quarters of losses"
    http://www.androidcentral.com/lg-sells-record-145-million-smartphones-q2-mobile-division-turns-profit

    Geesh, for a supposedly knowledgeable investor who knows how to ferret out the facts you seem entirely clueless how to do so at the moment. They aren't Apple-worthy profits, but profits nonetheless. The whole discussion started because you said no one made any profits but Samsung and Apple, then challenged a post of mine saying you didn't believe there was any truth to it.
  • Reply 50 of 90
    siretmansiretman Posts: 117member
    sirlance99 wrote: »
    I'll agree with you about this.
    Gotcha! What other OS is there right now though that is in real competition? There really isn't one. Although, all OSs are pretty similar in many ways borrowing from each other. One OS will come up with something and the other OS will do the same thing but with a twist. Apple has come up with some great things in iOS but didn't come up with it all and has most certainly borrowed ideas for others.

    Android isn't going away anytime in the near future just as iOS isn't. I know you want Android to go away but it isn't. Remember, there are other people that think exactly how you think but against Apple. It really shouldn't matter anyways as you use what you use and are happy with it and you shouldn't let what other people use bother you so much.

    I use my iPhone 6 Plus and people ask me about it all the time and I give them a fair opinion on it. Some things are fantastic some aren't. Overall I enjoy using except for a few major annoying things like apps refreshing every gosh darn time. My girlfriend, soon to be fiancee, hates her iPhone 6 Plus I bought her and never wants one again. She came from Windows Phone.
    Ditch your fiancée. She is not compatible.
  • Reply 51 of 90
    satchmosatchmo Posts: 2,699member

    Would I like lower priced iPhones...yes.

     

    There's room for different price points in this space. Apple chose the premium level with maximum profits. And this strategy is what has allowed them to create well designed and well implemented features.

     

    I hate the over used car analogy, but luxury brands like Mercedes, BMW and Audi play the same way. And they've been around a lot longer than Apple.

  • Reply 52 of 90
    sirlance99sirlance99 Posts: 1,293member
    chadbag wrote: »
    Hopefully she says yes.  Congrats!

    I personally hope Android goes and Windows Phone becomes the second tier OS instead of Android.  It is "refreshing" and "different", though I personally have 0 interest in it.

    Thanks. I'd love to see Windows Phone come up in market share big time. I'd rather have at least 3 OSs in the ring.
    siretman wrote: »
    Ditch your fiancée. She is not compatible.

    Not going to happen as she perfectly compatible. She just bought the new Macbook Pro and loves it. I talked her into waiting til it came out because of the better graphics card and force touch.
    sog35 wrote: »
    That's hard to believe.  What exactly does she like about the Windows phone over the 6?

    Its kinda like someone not liking a BMW 540 after driving a corolla.

    I didn’t say she liked anything about Windows over the iPhone 6 Plus. I couldn't stand her to keep using Windows because they have no apps and she couldn't participate in a ton of things I and her friends were using. So I immediately bought her the iPhone 6 Plus after I bought mine. She doesn't like the OS at all and has publicly said as much on all her social media accounts. She actually loved my Note 4 better and was pissed I sold it. So I'm going to buy her the Note 5 when it comes out. Not everyone loves Apple products.

    There's also nothing wrong with a Toyota. She drives a camry and I drive a Mercedes. Both are great for what they are for.
  • Reply 53 of 90
    knowitallknowitall Posts: 1,648member
    It really is an incredible achievement of Apple to be able to get 3 times the component and building costs from each customer.
    The iPhone must be an incredible product.
  • Reply 54 of 90
    sirlance99sirlance99 Posts: 1,293member
    sog35 wrote: »
    Wow. Even the most hardcore Samsung fanboys all say they hate TouchWiz.  Did she have extensive time with your Note4?  Or just brief usage?  The Samsung TouchWiz is messed up.  The only good thing about it is if you need stylus control.



    Nothing wrong at all with Toyota.  I've owned several of them.  My comment was because I though she liked a windows phone (which usually cost much less than an iPhone) more than the 6.

    Correct. Touchwiz is an abomination. That's why my Note was a custom design UI made by me. There was literally no Touchwiz to be seen. But I'm not the average bear. I know how to do all that and have been doing things like that since the Blackberry days before the iPhone existed. So all she knew of was what I made UI wise. She also did use it all the time. We were both logged into it with our accounts. She used it more than I did.

    She loved the S-Pen because she's an artist and made some amazing drawings just for me that mean a ton to me. I've saved them for safe keeping and look at them from time to time.

    True, Toyotas are great cars for what they are. Her's is the first I've ever driven. Except for the acceleration, which sucks balls compared to my Mercedes, it's a fun car to dive. It's zippy.
  • Reply 55 of 90
    knowitallknowitall Posts: 1,648member
    sog35 wrote: »
    Huh?  The top end Samsung/HTC/LG/Sony all cost the same as the iPhone

    Doesn't change the facts (and my argument).
  • Reply 56 of 90
    fallenjtfallenjt Posts: 4,054member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by sog35 View Post

     

     

    ok.  Your case is truly one in ten million.  Makes sense now.

     

    I guess she's 1 in 100 like the new iPhone commerical.  Its actually pretty rare. I have not meet a person who hated their iPhone and switched, besides switching for a larger screen.


     A lot people hate iPhone because they don't want to buy apps. I had a guy at work and he used Galaxy Note the whole time. He just inherited an 6+ from his wife and he felt miserable because he's not used to iOS and refused to learn new things.  Besides, he loves the S-pen too which I think it's ridiculous on a 5" screen.

  • Reply 57 of 90
    tmay wrote: »

    1) Apple sells more than 200 million iPhones, and iOS devices probably near 300 million, per year. That's a big enough market to sustain and provide the benefits to developers.

    2) Google isn't making much of anything from Android, and even the mobile advertising income is pretty weak, so it's probably a tossup of whether Samsung or Google makes more from Android. My money is on Samsung, even as their market is tanking, to actually generate the highest level of Android os income, followed by Google, and MS (IP licensing).

    I emphasized the part of your fantasy that was TOTAL bullshit. I ain't even gonna mess with the rest that is just mostly bullshit.

    Google making plenty of money by being privy to the smallest detail of Android owner's' lives. What they have found is that android owners are cheap-assed bastards compared to iOS owners, so they are not making nearly what they could if they hadn't stolen the smart pome idea from Apple... setting Apple on a warpath that is denying more and more access to Apple's customer data. Google does very well thank you on mobile advertising via YouTube and TheWeatherChannel apps. Apple is tightning down the screws so the future for Google is not bright. Their search position will go away when the patent expired in a couple years, and they still haven't found a replacement main source of income; Robots and cars, oh my!
  • Reply 58 of 90
    sirlance99sirlance99 Posts: 1,293member
    sog35 wrote: »
    ok.  Your case is truly one in ten million.  Makes sense now.

    I guess she's 1 in 100 like the new iPhone commerical.  Its actually pretty rare. I have not meet a person who hated their iPhone and switched, besides switching for a larger screen.

    Sure. I'm a rare exception to the norm which I stated as much.

    You must bit know a lot of people as I've know a lot of people that have switched to a Android device from an iPhone because they don't like it. I also know a lot of people that have switched to the iPhone from an android phone. Usually they got a cheap Android device and it sacked, so they bought the cheapest iPhone possible. I literally see the switch every day.
  • Reply 59 of 90
    fallenjtfallenjt Posts: 4,054member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Macky the Macky View Post





    I emphasized the part of your fantasy that was TOTAL bullshit. I ain't even gonna mess with the rest that is just mostly bullshit.



    Google making plenty of money by being privy to the smallest detail of Android owner's' lives. What they have found is that android owners are cheap-assed bastards compared to iOS owners, so they are not making nearly what they could if they hadn't stolen the smart pome idea from Apple... setting Apple on a warpath that is denying more and more access to Apple's customer data. Google does very well thank you on mobile advertising via YouTube and TheWeatherChannel apps. Apple is tightning down the screws so the future for Google is not bright. Their search position will go away when the patent expired in a couple years, and they still haven't found a replacement main source of income; Robots and cars, oh my!

    and Google Glasses. 

  • Reply 60 of 90
    sirlance99sirlance99 Posts: 1,293member
    fallenjt wrote: »
     A lot people hate iPhone because they don't want to buy apps. I had a guy at work and he used Galaxy Note the whole time. He just inherited an 6+ from his wife and he felt miserable because he's not used to iOS and refused to learn new things.  Besides, he loves the S-pen too which I think it's ridiculous on a 5" screen.

    5.7" to be fair. Also, you can do some amazing things with the S-Pen. I knew a great tattoo artist that got the NotePRO 12.2 because he drew all his art on it for clients. He had some of the best work I've seen for tattoos.
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