Here’s a fun statistic: at least eight multinational companies compete for the big business of making mobile devices.
How many make all the profit? Two.
So positioned is Samsung andApple. Thanks to innovative products, a tight grip on supply chains and good relationships with carriers, among other reasons, Apple has 69% share of all operating profit among the planet’s leading device makers, while Samsung has 34%, according to a research note today from Canaccord Genuity. (See chart above.)
All other competitors barely get a sliver of this profit pie. Nokia, Google-owned Motorola and Sonyoperated at a loss in 2012, while BlackBerry (formerly Research in Motion), LG and HTC barely broke even.
Canaccord’s Michael Walkley expects the industry to continue looking this way through the beginning of this year and beyond. Samsung might gain a little on Apple after releasing its Galaxy S4, likely in March, and Apple might grow its own profit share if it ever releases a cheaper iPhone.
TechMeetups Drinks & Demo at #MobileWorldCongress Barcelona 2013
