Apple’s 2012 Profits Dwarf Those of All its Major Competitors Combined

[Maura]

Android Authority today features an interesting article looking at Apple’s profit for the fiscal year 2012 and putting the bold facts and figures into context. They also have a great graphic, which really helps to show you the context behind the figures as well. As Android Authority notes, Apple’s fiscal year results show a record profit of $41.7 billion on $156.5 billion revenue. The chart that Android Authority uses comes courtesy of Statista, and shows just how far Apple is ahead of the competition. For example, just behind Apple, we have the combined totals of Microsoft, Google, ebay, Yahoo, Facebook, and amazon, which together amount to $34.4 billion in profit over the past four fiscal quarters. So to put that plainly, even all those giant companies together, massive brands all of them, still fall far short of Apple’s total. The likes of Disney and TimeWarner are even further behind, and Apple’s smartphone rivals are languishing at the very bottom, with Samsung, Nokia, HTC and RIM combined only managing $12.8 billion between them.


Source: http://www.androidauthority.com/app...-microsoft-facebook-yahoo-amazon-ebay-134428/

 

[AQ_OC]

Gosh, I didn't realize it was that bad.....no wonder all these companies are hatin on Apple (and they deserve some of it).

But....Apple gets the important stuff right most of the time....more than anyone else, they are the quintessential capitalists.

I thought Samsung was way higher than what that chart shows, too.

 

[Pinkpoison]

pretty amazing isn't it.

 

[skimonkey]

Even Disney is below Apple!

 

[ardchoille]

I think a lot of this is due to iDevice quality and the fact that companies see said quality - one company recently bought $80k worth of iPads. And government agencies are switching from Blackberry to Apple products.

 

[Drew wal]

That info graph is really quite astounding , I knew apple had cash , but that much !!!!!

Feel a little smug somehow to see samsung et al sitting at the bottom .

Credit due to Apple , with Steve bringing the company pretty much back from extinction like the Phoenix , and now that birds flying let's hope Tim can maintain its trajectory .

Sent from my awesome iPhone 5using iPF

 

[iJamesH]

Even Disney is below Apple!

That could change with the new Star Wars movies and their quality stuff with their Marvel superhero movies.

They have 2 big franchises at their disposal so I see them in the next few years gaining momentum.

 

[s2mikey]

A lot of this is simply the fact that they do charge a lot for their stuff. It's usually good stuff and I love my iPad 2 but on a product by product basis, apple charges a lot. Hence, huge profits. Al that cheap labor helps too. I know, I know, lots of companies make their stuff overseas. But, that's what's supposed to keep prices down. Those low labor costs don't seem to be making back to the consumer but it is what it is.

 

[thewitt]

A lot of this is simply the fact that they do charge a lot for their stuff. It's usually good stuff and I love my iPad 2 but on a product by product basis, apple charges a lot. Hence, huge profits. Al that cheap labor helps too. I know, I know, lots of companies make their stuff overseas. But, that's what's supposed to keep prices down. Those low labor costs don't seem to be making back to the consumer but it is what it is.

You know how silly this argument is?

Apple is profitable because they sell products that people want at a price they are more than willing to pay.

If anyone could make a profit just by raising prices, you can bet everything would cost more...

 

[The OB]

You know how silly this argument is?

Apple is profitable because they sell products that people want at a price they are more than willing to pay.

If anyone could make a profit just by raising prices, you can bet everything would cost more...

That is absolutely right. Any year 1 economics student has learned about Elasticity of Demand. That is, at the margin, units of price will increase up to the point of equilibrium where demand equals supply. After that, demand will decrease with price increases.

It is obvious that Apple products have had a high elasticity of demand. People have been happy to pay the requested prices, SO FAR
There are rumblings in the air about that demand starting to decrease.
Regards, Andrew

 

[AQ_OC]

That is absolutely right. Any year 1 economics student has learned about Elasticity of Demand. That is, at the margin, units of price will increase up to the point of equilibrium where demand equals supply. After that, demand will decrease with price increases.

It is obvious that Apple products have had a high elasticity of demand. People have been happy to pay the requested prices, SO FAR
There are rumblings in the air about that demand starting to decrease.
Regards, Andrew

I'm always happy to pay less!

 

[The OB]

I'm always happy to pay less!

Who knows? With your next iPad you may be able to.

 

[tlbaker]

A lot of this is simply the fact that they do charge a lot for their stuff. It's usually good stuff and I love my iPad 2 but on a product by product basis, apple charges a lot. Hence, huge profits. Al that cheap labor helps too. I know, I know, lots of companies make their stuff overseas. But, that's what's supposed to keep prices down. Those low labor costs don't seem to be making back to the consumer but it is what it is.

Apple does make very good products; however, I do hate the cheap labor part. Those people suffer so we can have our toys. They would probably be even more expensive if there wasn't any cheap labor.

Sent from my WiFi Black 64GB iPad with Retina Display in NYC using iPF

 

[AQ_OC]

Who knows? With your next iPad you may be able to. 

I doubt it. The model Apple is using works. The model the others are using doesn't, IMO. Sort of what this thread is saying. Selling a tablet at $200 and making zero profit is not a strategy that keeps people employed, or encourages app development. I bought my first Android tablet shortly after I got my first iPad (the iPad 2), yet the Android apps for tablets has barely increased, yet Apple has some 275,000+ apps for iPad. Me, I buy tablets to run apps...the more the better.

 

[s2mikey]

You know how silly this argument is?

Apple is profitable because they sell products that people want at a price they are more than willing to pay.

If anyone could make a profit just by raising prices, you can bet everything would cost more...

Right, but comparing their stuff to other similar products costs does show that they are more expensive. Charging more does equal a profit gain, at least it would appear to. I'm not arguing with their business model or anything. It's just that, well, we are often told that without cheap labor that these companies would all dissolve within a few months. Sometimes, and it's not just apple, it seems that these low labor costs and savings aren't being passed onto consumers. People are buying, so that's what matters. This is probably a discussion for another thread or time. My issue is more with dirt cheap labor and people being treated like crap. No worries.