Apple became world's largest smartphone seller in 2011 with 19% share
Apple was not only the largest seller of smartphones worldwide in 2011, taking 19 percent of all sales, but also overtook LG to become the No. 3 largest global mobile phone vendor, according to Gartner.
The new data comes from Gartner's latest , covering both the fourth quarter of calendar 2011 as well as all of 2011. The figures show Apple as the top smartphone vendor for all of 2011, with a 19 percent share, while it represented 23.8 percent of all smartphones sold worldwide in the fourth quarter alone.
Apple's share of smartphone sales was so large that Apple also moved up to become the No. 3 company in terms of all mobile phone sales, even though Apple does not sell any low-end "feature phones." Apple's success moved it ahead of LG, leaving only Nokia, in first, and Samsung, in second, ahead of it.
"Western Europe and North America led most of the smartphone growth for Apple during the fourth quarter of 2011," said Roberta Cozza, principal research analyst at Gartner. "In Western Europe the spike in iPhone sales in the fourth quarter saved the overall smartphone market after two consecutive quarters of slow sales."
Total smartphone sales in 2011 were 472 million units, accounting for 31 percent of all mobile device sales. Gartner said that Apple sold 89.2 million units to end users in calendar 2011, good for a 5 percent share of the total mobile phone market.
Gartner expects Apple's strong performance to continue into the first quarter of 2012, as availability of the iPhone 4S continues to widen. Still, sales are expected to decline quarter to quarter, as hype from the iPhone 4S launch dies down.
In terms of mobile operating systems, Google Android remained the top dog in the fourth quarter of 2011, with a 50.9 percent total market share. Apple's iOS, which is only available on three smartphone models with the iPhone 4S, iPhone 4 and iPhone 3GS, took second place with 23.8 percent of units.
The iOS platform actually grew 8 percent year over year from the holiday period in 2010. But Gartner expects that Apple's mobile operating system share will drop in the coming quarter as the iPhone 4S upgrade cycle slows.
In third behind Apple was Nokia's Symbian, which was found on 11.7 percent of smartphones sold in the fourth quarter of 2011. Research in Motion took fourth with 8.8 percent, Samsung's Bada was in fifth with 2.1 percent, and Microsoft's Windows Phone platform took sixth with 1.9 percent.
[ View article on AppleInsider ]
Comments
What happened to AAPL lately?
Seems AAPL want's to reach the moon!
What happened to AAPL lately?
Something that has been about five years coming.
I just hope they know to temper the growth. I don't want to see Apple stock being a mirror of Amazon's.
What happened to AAPL lately?
We hit the $500/share milestone. I think next is the $500 billion market cap milestone, followed by the double MS's valuation (≈$510 billion) milestone.
What other event marking stages do you think will get reported?
What happened to AAPL lately?
AAPL is up damn near 3% just today, just so for today. At this rate, AAPL will reach $550 by next week.
AAPL is never going to go down. It seems like early 2000 all over again.
What other event marking stages do you think will get reported?
A "correction" would get big press.
AAPL is up damn near 3% just today, just so for today. At this rate, AAPL will reach $550 by next week.
Yeah, the past few days it's just up non-stop. If this trend continue guess we will see at least 550 before iPad event.
I am far more interested in the cash flows the company will generate. Which, I have no doubt, it will deliver.
We hit the $500/share milestone. I think next is the $500 billion market cap milestone, followed by the double MS's valuation (≈$510 billion) milestone.
What other event marking stages do you think will get reported?
When it's past the all-time high record of Microsoft.
I don't want to see Apple stock being a mirror of Amazon's.
As long as the P/E stays in the mid- to upper-teens, I would (speaking for myself) probably not lose any sleep. Given its size now - and therefore, the size of the new product 'wins' Apple will have to acheive at this scale - I would (again, speaking for myself) worry if gets past, say 20x.
Amazon's valuation, otoh, remains a mystery to be. Apple is nowhere near that territory and will probably never be there.
When it's past the all-time high record of Microsoft.
That may have happened already. If not, it could happen soon, even today. I am seeing between $484 billion and, my calculation, of $492.65 billion as MS's highest market cap, with some others in between. Also note that MS had a high P/E of 75 when they reached their peak in 1999 while Apple's P/E is only at 15.
In terms of mobile operating systems, Google Android remained the top dog in the fourth quarter of 2011, with a 50.9 percent total market share. Apple's iOS, which is only available on three smartphone models with the iPhone 4S, iPhone 4 and iPhone 3GS, took second place with 23.8 percent of units.
[ View article on AppleInsider ]
Appleinsider should know better than to confuse "mobile operating systems" with "smartphone operating systems", it's bad enough others do that to put Android ahead. If we're talking mobile operating systems, that includes the iPod Touch and iPad.
That may have happened already.
No, it's not. Around 580 B. I guess. Can't find the exact number. It's from 1998-1999 I believe.
EDIT: OK you found the number.
No, it's not. Around 580 B. I guess. Can't find the exact number. It's from 1998-1999 I believe.
EDIT: OK you found the number.
Apple will have to get to $528.41 per share to reach the all-time-high market valuation besting out MSFT from December 24th, 1999.
Apple will have to get to $528.41 per share to reach the all-time-high market valuation besting out MSFT from December 24th, 1999.
That low? That might happen today. Are you using Microsoft P/E at the time because that's cheating?
EDIT: hmm... I just saw the number you quoted again and that seem to me too low. Are you sure it's not 592.65 billion?
That low? That might happen today. Are you using Microsoft P/E at the time because that's cheating?
Their P/E looks to have been 75 during the peak of the dot.com bubble which means Apple's valuation is much more sustainable than MS was at the time.
EDIT: hmm... I just saw the number you quoted again and that seem to me too low. Are you sure it's not 592.65 billion?
I'm fighting a cold which tends to turn off parts of cognitive parts of my brain but from what I can see MSFT peaked at $58.719 on 1999-DEC-24 with 8.39 billion shares for a total of $492.65241 billion.
492.65241 (MSFT highest valuation in billions) ÷ 0.93237 (AAPL shares in billions) = $528.387239 (AAPL share price to exactly equal MSFT)
Their P/E looks to have been 75 during the peak of the dot.com bubble which means Apple's valuation is much more sustainable than MS was at the time.
It's still interesting to see if Apple could go that far. That will be the day.
I found the number (somewhat).
"With the recent spurt in the stock price, Microsoft's market capitalization has reached nearly $600 billion, putting it back in first place ahead of General Electric's $475 billion market cap."
Microsoft shares climb on Windows 2000 optimism
But it's still confusing a bit since the second one is just at $475 billion. ??? Damn the number.
EDIT: I see now. the all time high is $115 from the link above, not $58.719.
"Microsoft closed at 113.69, up 5.25. Earlier in the day, the shares reached 115, an all-time high."