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Apple overtakes Samsung as largest smartphone maker

Apple floored the tech community when it announced on Tuesday that it sold 37 million iPhones in the last three months of 2011. This staggering figure was well over the 17 million it sold in Q3 2011 and may be high enough to make Apple the number one smartphone manufacturer in the world.

Apple climbed over its rival Samsung, which is expected to announce later this week that it sold 35 million handsets worldwide. Apple beat out Samsung because it had fantastic momentum going into the holiday quarter. There was pent up demand for the iPhone 4S which launched at the beginning of the quarter. Customers lined up for the phone and Tim Cook confirmed in the earnings call yesterday that demand exceeded inventory.

Samsung, however, had several models on the market, but none of its phones were on fire like the 4S. The Galaxy SII was older and on the down side of its sales. The flagship Galaxy Nexus also debuted overseas in the quarter, but it didn't garner the attention of the international crowd like the iPhone 4S. The Nexus also arrived in the US with Verizon, but it launched late in the quarter and its sales won't contribute heavily to Samsung's Q4 numbers.



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Apple floored the tech community when it announced on Tuesday that it sold 37 million iPhones in the last three months of 2011. This...
 

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Non-CrAppleholic

Samsung makes more Apple iPhone parts than Apple and they do it with a whole lot more labor provided by Americans! lol....

Plus truth be told and I'm all for Truth and the American Way (which isn't Apple's apparently), but Samsung sold more Smartphones on the whole YEAR than Apple. So I would think that makes Samsung the Largest Smartphone maker! :D
SAMSUNG 2011 Totals

1st quarter= 13.1 million
2nd Q=19.7 million
3rd Q= 27.8 million
4th Q= 35.3 million
TOTAL= 95.9 rounded up to 96 Million Units (all smartphones)

Apple iPhone Totals (all models)

1th Quarter= 18.65 Million
2nd Q= 20.34 Million
3rd Q= 17.07 Million
4th Q= 37.04 Million

Total iPhones Sold (inc 3GS, 4 and 4s)
93.13 Million!!!! ....and the Smartphone King? The Winner is... Samsung selling a
Total of 95.9 Million Smartphones in 2011!!! :D

January 26 2012 at 4:55 PM Report abuse -3 rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to Non-CrAppleholic's comment
Mizbehaven

Please... Source for your "whole lot more labor provided by Americans" rumor rhetoric or it's just trolling.

January 26 2012 at 9:13 PM Report abuse +2 rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to Mizbehaven's comment
Non-CrAppleholic

Samsung spent nearly 5 Billion dollars upgrading their foundries in Austin Texas to produce A4 and A5. That alone provided construction (Samsung America Construction Division part of Samsung Group). Along with that Samsung Semiconductor Austin, Texas is one of the biggest employers in Texas now making A6 Quad core, A5 Dual core, A4 single core and the LPDDR2 memory modules that go into the SoC's of all iDevices right here. That then have their firmaware installed at Apple's leased facilities from Samsung in that complex under the supervision of Samsung paid Engineers! That's an obvious fact!!!!

Plus this year again.... Intel and Samsung are spending $20+ Billion (another 5 Billion in Austin Texas for further expansion) in Semiconductor (processors) over spending on memory expansion! .....and not a dime of that is coming out of Apple's pockets directly. That's why Samsung operates on such slim margins and Apple buying in large bulk purchases has such obscene profit margins!

http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/sns-rt-us-samsungtre80p1ky-20120126,0,5620030.story

January 28 2012 at 5:20 PM Report abuse -1 rate up rate down
kootenayredneck

Your RSS feed headline was misleading "Apple overtakes Samsung as largest iPhone maker" compared to your webpage headline "Apple overtakes Samsung as largest smartphone maker".

Smarten up, you lose credibility that way.

January 25 2012 at 11:49 AM Report abuse +1 rate up rate down Reply
maowai

Haha, I thought the title was a dig at Samsung's copyright infringement until I saw the title on this page...

January 25 2012 at 11:45 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Robb Irrgang

Ofcourse Apple is the biggest iPhone maker. Samsung doesn't make iPhones. Wait, I see what you did there. Keep it up.

January 25 2012 at 11:45 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Erik N

From now on "iPhone" is a generic term for any smartphone.

January 25 2012 at 11:43 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Liam Gladdy

"Apple overtakes Samsung as largest iPhone maker" - The title typo did make me chuckle!

January 25 2012 at 11:40 AM Report abuse +1 rate up rate down Reply
Sabin

Samsung makes iPhones? Where can I buy one?

January 25 2012 at 11:40 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
bdub

Samsung was the largest iphone maker before this? Weird. I had no idea.

*(;

January 25 2012 at 11:37 AM Report abuse +1 rate up rate down Reply
Brian A Peat

yeah, the headline needs to say Phone or Smart Phone but not iPhone.

January 25 2012 at 11:37 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Tim

I didn't know Samsung made iPhones.

January 25 2012 at 11:37 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
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