Skip to main content

Apple takes home 94 percent of smartphone market profit

apple encryption court order news logo
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Apple only accounts for 15 percent of the mobile market share, but in profits, the company is taking the lion’s share, according to Canaccord Genuity. In a report published earlier this week, Canaccord claims Apple takes 94 percent of the smartphone market profits.

That is quite a large percentage, even larger than the previous quarter where Apple apparently took home 92 percent of the industry’s profits. Samsung is the only other mobile company making a profit, at 11 percent. The odd percentage is rounded out due to all of the companies failing to make any profit in the third quarter, like Lenovo, HTC, and Sony.

Part of Apple’s success is the ability to sell a large amount of phones out of the gate with zero reductions. The company recently reported 13 million iPhone 6S and 6S Plus sales in the first three days, surpassing previous records.

The fourth quarter is set to be even stronger for Apple, as the iPhone 6S, 6S Plus, iPad Pro, and Apple TV come into the holiday season. Only 31 percent of the iPhone customer base have upgraded, according to Investors Business Daily quotes analyst Michael Walkley, giving Apple plenty of room to sell more iPhones.

Next year, Apple might look into expanding operations in India, with the go-ahead from the government to open retail stores in the country. The company is already successful in China, but lacks the same influence in India; the next potential economic superpower.

To win customers in India, Apple might be planning to launch a revamped iPhone 5S with higher-spec internals and a cheaper price. The phone would still be more expensive than Xiaomi, Samsung, and Micromax alternatives, but customers might be drawn to the logo and willing to spend more for the premium brand.

Editors' Recommendations

David Curry
Former Digital Trends Contributor
David has been writing about technology for several years, following the latest trends and covering the largest events. He is…
Can my iPhone get iOS 17? Here’s every supported model
Someone holding an iPhone 14 Pro Max and iPhone 14 Pro next to each other.

The latest version of iOS, iOS 17, comes with a host of new features, including phone call customizations, Live Voicemail, updated iMessage features, and many more. While the update is compatible with many iPhone models, it is not supported by all.

Apple's iOS 17 was announced at the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC 2023) alongside iPadOS, macOS, and more updates. It's an exciting update, but is it one you can get on your iPhone?
Which iPhone models can download iOS 17?
Apple iPhone 8 Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends

Read more
10 colors I wish Apple made for the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro
iPhone 15 Pro in a red color.

Apple finally revealed the iPhone 15 at its “Wonderlust” event on September 12. This lineup includes the iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 15 Pro Max. There were other products announced during the event as well, but the iPhone 15 series is the biggest of the bunch.

However, Apple’s really been dropping the ball lately in terms of device colors. This year is especially bad with the very pastel and muted colors of the iPhone 15 models, not to mention the various shades of gray for the iPhone 15 Pro variants.

Read more
The iPhone 15 Pro isn’t the iPhone upgrade I hoped it would be
Apple iPhone 15 Pro with titanium frame.

When Apple introduced the first “Pro” iPhone in 2019, it stood with an additional telephoto camera at the back. To this day, the third lens serves as a proud marker of the Pro moniker. The camera chops are what predominantly separated these pricey trims from the non-Pro variants.

As Apple’s fall launch event unfolded last week, I was hoping to see some big camera upgrades fitting for the new Pro models. Yet, the only meaningful camera upgrade we got was kept exclusive to the iPhone 15 Pro Max. Instead of the iPhone 14 Pro’s 3x zoom camera, the iPhone 15 Pro Max makes the jump to a 5x telephoto camera.

Read more