Breakneck competition to be world’s top smartphone maker

Apple (1Q)

Sale: $46.3 billion, a 73 percent surge from a year ago.

Net income: $13.1 billion

Earnings per share: $13.87, more than double from a year ago

EPS Estimate: $10.16 (Yahoo! Finance data)

iPhones shipped: 37 million

iPads shipped: 15.4 million

Cash: $97.6 billion



Apple pulled blowout earnings for the fiscal first quarter since the death of co-founder Steve Jobs, beating expectations across the board.

For the quarter that ended Dec. 31, 2011, Apple overtook Samsung to become the world’s largest smartphone maker with 24 percent market share, according to Strategy Analytics, a research firm. But Samsung was the market leader in annual terms for the first time with 20 percent share during 2011. Experts forecast the neck-and-neck competition to last this year.

The Cupertino, Calif.-based tech giant reported record sale of $46.3 billion and profit of $13.1 billion.

Apple sold 37 million iPhones and 15.4 million iPads during the quarter, a jump of 128 percent and 111 percent, respectively over the same quarter last year.

“Apple’s momentum is incredibly strong and we have some amazing new products in the pipeline,” said Chief Executive Tim Cook, in a statement.

The global tech leader has been reported focusing on Apple TV and preparing for a new iPad release.

To put the numbers in perspective:

Apple’s income is larger than the ones of Google ($2.7 billion), Intel ($3.4 billion) and Microsoft ($6.6 billion) combined, in the most recent quarter.

The company’s current holding of cash is enough to cover Greece’s debt payments in the next two year, according to a Bloomberg report. It is also enough for ￢the company to buy 2,000 tons of gold at current prices, the equivalent of the weight of 10 blue whales.

More iPhones were sold each day in the quarter than babies were born in the world.


Samsung Electronics (4Q)

Sale: 47.3 trillion won, or $42.1 billion, up 13 percent from a year ago

Net income: 4 trillion won or $3.6 billion

EPS: NA

EPS Estimate: NA

Smartphone s shipped: 36.5 million (Strategy Analytics data)

Cash: 26.9 trillion won or $23.9 billion



The South Korea’s biggest company, Samsung gained the record 5.3 trillion won in operating profit, in the fourth quarter that ended in December, a 76 percent hike from the previous quarter, thanks to strong smartphone sales.

The Suwon-based company’s net profit jumped 17 percent to 4 trillion won or $3.6 billion for the quarter, from a year ago.

The world’s top maker of memory chips and TVs expects that global demand for handsets and TV panels will slow during this weak season, but market competition will heighten with the launch of new smartphones.

It also forecasts growth in LED TVs due to strong demand from emerging markets.