Things really are going brilliantly for Apple at the moment; so much so that the fact the iPad sales continue to decline has been completely forgotten. With record profits and record sales, Apple is on a high, but things are getting better according to Kantar Worldpanel ComTech. The market researcher says that for the first time since 2012 Apple sold more device in the US than all Android products combined.
Cupertino grew its market share by 3.8% year-on-year through the fourth quarter of 2014, taking a total of 47.7% of the market with its iOS operating system. As for Android, Google’s platform accounted for 47.6%, dropping below iOS by just 0.01%. Of course, Android is likely to reclaim the crown this quarter, but it really is an astonishing feat that Apple is competing with Android with such a limited portfolio compared to Android’s vast array of products.
Kantar found that the iPhone 6 was the best-selling smartphone in the United State through the Christmas, which is hardly a surprise. Next in line was Samsung’s Galaxy S5, not bad for a device that has been available for ten months.
There were similar results in Europe, with Android slipping 3.8% to 66.1% of the market (compared to 2013), while iOS surged by 6.2%.

When it comes to making money, Apple is at the top of the game. The very top in fact, with the company earnings record amounts of profits through the last quarter off increased sales and higher margins. With $18 billion in profit, Apple made the best ever quarter in the history of business, beating out Russian oil company Gazprom. With that huge amount of cash, it is interesting to know where the company gets the money from.
Well, a new infographic breaks down exactly what Apple makes, how the company makes profit, and where the money comes from.
The infographic reveals that the average sale price of sits at $687 during the fourth quarter of 2014, which is a $50 hike over the same period through 2013. The reason for that price increase is the iPhone 6 Plus, a handset that is more expensive than the previous iPhone flagships. A brief explanation why Apple makes more than Android rivals would be that Android’s average selling price is $254.
Apple spends on average $220 to build and sell an iPhone, which means Cupertino makes a massive 200% in profit from each device. So, with the company selling record numbers it is easy to see where that amazing profit came from, not to mention over $74 million in total revenue. According to various sources and the company’s own books, Apple now has $178 billion in clear cash, with the iPhone the driving force behind the success with 68% of the company’s revenue.

Accusations of Apple no longer being an innovator are of course nonsense, the company ushered in 64-bit chips, fingerprint sensors, and so on over the last two years. However, a new patent could be the most innovative thing Apple has done in some time as the company has filed a patent with the USPTO for a new version of the company’s iconic Home Button. Read More »

Trade-in compiling company CompareMyMobile based in the UK revealed its new annual report (2014 edition) that shows trade in results from the country through last year. The survey shows which devices and companies get the most trade-ins, taking into account such factors as depreciation, and the most valuable smartphones. Read More »

Apple is flying very high at the moment after the company revealed that it sold 73.4 million iPhone units and posted the best ever quarterly profit in history. The enormous success of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus has driven Apple’s newest huge success, and the company’s CEO, Tim Cook, says that the most iPhone 6 owners came from Android. Read More »

The idea of Apple catching up with Samsung in terms of how many smartphone it sells seemed almost impossible less than a year ago. Samsung was completely in control of the market and Apple was just happy in its own place in the market selling big numbers and making huge amounts of money. However, in the last quarter Apple managed to reel in its great rival and both companies sold 74.5 million units. Read More »

Google Play is the king of app stores, that’s if you look at how many apps are downloaded at least. In terms of app downloads, App Annie’s research found that Google Play crushes the Apple App Store, which is not much of a surprise considering Android totally dominates the mobile market. However, Apple’s App Store is still really the king of app stores, because it does the thing all companies want… it makes money. Read More »

What an amazing day it has been for Apple. Cupertino revealed huge record profits and unbelievable sales figures for the iPhone over the last quarter. To top it off, 2014 was a big year for the company where it started to make headway in China, a company that had been the playground of Samsung and Xiaomi. China has warmed to the iPhone with the larger screened iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus and for this quarter at least, Apple is the biggest smartphone company in the country. Read More »