Mobile Computing News

Photo: Apple

Apple Inc, the biggest technology company in the world by market capitilization, posted blowout Q1 2012 revenue figures. The company posted record revenue, record profit, record iPhone, record iPad and record Mac sales figures in a quarterly performance that topped even the guidance of the most optimistic analysts.

About that revenue and profit

Apple revenue for Q1 2012 totaled $44.63 billion (£28.61bn), up 73 percent year-on-year. Apple’s profit for the quarter was $13.06 billion (£8.37bn), up 118 percent year-on-year. For perspective, Apple’s quarterly profit exceeded Google’s revenue of $10.6 billion over the same period. Further perspective still, CNN reports that this is the second most profitable quarter of any corporation ever. For even more perspective, Apple’s cash hoard now sits at $97.6 billion (£62.55bn), which is greater than the market capitilisation of 474 Fortune 500 companies. Crazy.

iPhone momentum unprecedented

That growth, of course, comes from two key device categories – the iPhone primarily, and the iPad secondly. Apple iPhone sales topped 37.04 million units, representing year-on-year growth of 128 percent. The sales figures also meant Apple reclaimed its position as the number one smartphone vendor in the world, eclipsing Samsung’s 35 million unit sales over the same period.

For perspective on the ridiculous amount of momentum Apple iPhone sales have had since the device’s introduction in 2007, consider what Matt Richman writes: ‘In 2009, Apple sold more iPhones than it did in 2007 and 2008 combined. In 2010, Apple sold more iPhones than it did in 2007, 2008, and 2009 combined. Last year, Apple sold 93.1 million iPhones, slightly more than it did in 2007, 2008, 2009, and 2010 combined. The pattern continued.’

iPad and Mac extremely strong

Apple iPad sales totaled 15.43 million units in Q1 2012, representing year-on-year growth of 111 percent. Even though the PC industry is widely considered soft, with growth slowing to a crawl, the Mac has been, well, immune to that slowdown. Mac sales grew 26 percent year-on-year totaling 5.26 million units for the quarter.

Momentum

The mobile devices market is without doubt the most important competitive landscape in computing today and Apple, without doubt, is in the lead, in terms of unit sales per manufacturer, and in terms of revenue and profit. This is not to say that this will forever be the case, but the Cupertino giant is certainly sitting pretty at this point.