Apple Stands as Top Mobile Phone Vendor in U.S.: Strategy Analytics
The past couple weeks haven’t been the greatest for Apple, at least in the realm of public perception. Despite enviable revenue and earnings last quarter, the company faces a bevy of analysts and pundits chattering about how its most innovative years are officially behind it. Apple’s stock has plunged from its all-time highs. Whether or not those cries of doom have any validation, Apple can take comfort in one thing: according to new data from Strategy Analytics, the company was the largest mobile phone vendor in the United States by the end of 2012. “We estimate Apple shipped 17.7 million mobile phones for a record 34 percent share of the United States market in the fourth quarter of 2012,” read the research firm’s Feb. 1 blog posting on the matter. “This was up sharply from 12.8 million units shipped and 25 percent share in Q4 2011.” Samsung—Apple’s biggest rival—managed to ship 16.8 million units during the same period, giving it a 32 percent share: a significant uptick from the 27 percent it earned in the fourth quarter of 2011. “Samsung had been the number one mobile phone vendor in the US since 2008,” the posting added, “and it will surely be keen to recapture that title in 2013 by launching improved new models such as the rumored Galaxy S4.” LG came in third place with 4.7 million mobile phones shipped, good for a 9 percent share in the U.S. market. That’s something of a dip from the same quarter in 2011, when the manufacturer logged 6.9 million units shipped and a 14 percent share. Its future, Strategy Analytics suggested, hinges on its ability to deliver a new generation of devices that seize the imaginations of potential customers. Apple sold 47.8 million iPhones last quarter, along with 22.9 million iPads. That contributed significantly to revenue of $54.5 billion and a net profit of $13.3 billion. While impressive, that iPhone number stood beneath certain analysts’ predictions, contributing to Apple’s stock dip. The company’s performance in coming quarters—not to mention its future product launches—will help determine whether that stock can inch back to its previous highs. Here's Strategy Analytics' full breakdown:
