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Apple Now World's Largest Semiconductor Buyer
Lucas123 writes "Apple has leaped two spots to become the world's largest consumer of semiconductor technology, including NAND flash, NOR flash and microprocessors. Apple spent $17.5 billion on semiconductors in 2010, an increase of 79.6% over 2009. Sixty-one percent of Apple's semiconductor budget in 2010 was spent on wireless products such as the iPhone and iPad, while second place HP spent 82% of its semiconductor budget on computer products like desktops, notebooks and servers."
it is surprising how hard it is for slashdot posters to click one link further to the real article instead of linking to the one with adds.
http://www.isuppli.com/Semiconductor-Value-Chain/News/Pages/Apple-Becomes-Worlds-Largest-OEM-Semiconductor-Buyer-in-2010.aspx
And Samsung is the world's second largest semiconductor MANUFACTURER, after Intel.. including providing a lot of chips to Apple.
Meanwhile, Apple is in the middle of a giant lawsuit against Samsung for it's mobile phone division, which is starting to seriously make a run for crown of the Android market, and is eating away at Apple's business.
Fun times ahead.
Apple strength in hardware sales lies in its device and media ecosystemâ"every Apple product is connected through iTunes/iOS and is synergetic with all other Apple products.
As a result, committed users of the Apple ecosystem derive more value from each additional Apple device they buy, and users have little interest in leaving the Apple realm.
In other words, through a common ecosystem, Apple leverages each device to sell other devices. Rising device sales to consumers then leads to increased semiconductor purchasing by Apple.
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A buyer that once purchased a Hewlett-Packard PC would just as likely purchase a Dell PC next if the price was better, given that there is little or no value in purchasing another Hewlett-Packard.
Stupid PC buyers... buying according to their needs and monetary abilities. Why can't they learn that it is much better to be "committed".
Also, HP (and Samsung) buys almost as much semiconductors as Apple (even without all those pricey touchscreens) - but it sucks ass.
While Apple rocks.
Mit der Dummheit kämpfen Götter selbst vergebens
You have to understand that apple might as well be the biggest gadget manufacturer in the world. They do desktop computers, notebooks, netbooks and phones (Not to mention iPod lines with touchscreens, for example).
And unlike android or windows, they do manufacture everything themselves, so the load is not spread between every company that decides to produce a windows laptop or android phone.
About ten years ago, before the iPod and OS X, I suspect very few of us suspected anything like this from Apple. As much as I don't agree with their walled garden approach to software, it's hard not to be impressed with what they have accomplished.
And yet, we're very much in a transformative age in computing. Desktops are increasingly rare for mainstream computing, tablets are on the rise, and there are billions of people who are getting their first taste of the Internet not through a traditional computer, but instead a smartphone. Everyone is searching for the holy grail, the next big thing.
It's gonna be an interesting next ten years. I for one is staying idealistic and hoping for open standards and interoperability across devices, platforms, and operating systems. Sorry, Apple.
.: Max Romantschuk
Stupid PC buyers... buying according to their needs and monetary abilities. Why can't they learn that it is much better to be "committed".
(...)
While Apple rocks.
Funny that, since Apple is the IBM of cell phones while Android is the Microsoft. If you invest heavily in Android apps, you can switch between any number of clones. If you invest in iApps, you're committed to Apple hardware which comes with a heavy premium.
Don't get me wrong, I have an iPhone myself because it has features ahead of its time - but so did OS/2. But unless they keep moving they'll end up just like IBM did, overrun by cheap clones doing pretty much the same at a much lower cost.
Live today, because you never know what tomorrow brings
Apple devices don't scale well for "work" in general. It doesn't matter if it's a higher degree of interactivity or just handling more "use".
They are also intentionally limited in terms of "play".
The new input devices certainly hold a lot of promise but the current devices that tend to employ them are overhyped. It's the inputs that are interesting not so much the devices they happen to be attached to today.
A Pirate and a Puritan look the same on a balance sheet.
If you invest in iApps, you're committed to Apple hardware which comes with a heavy premium.
Huh? Apple's phones at worst are marginally more expensive than Android phones from the same carriers (especially discounting the two-for-one giveaway deals that are now cropping up on Android phones because otherwise the carriers couldn't move the things). We're talking $200-$300 over 2-3 years. For most people who can afford a smartphone at all, that doesn't even approach a "heavy" premium.
And in exchange for the extra couple hundred dollars, you get world-class support - everything from prompt OS updates to a wide range of peripherals to the best in-store experience in the industry. I had an out-of-warranty iPhone die on me, and Apple swapped it out free of charge. That kind of service alone is worth way more than any "premium" they charge.
You also get a phone with a much better user interface, and deeper app support.
The only reason why Android is doing as well as it is: the carriers need something to keep Apple from becoming a monopoly and bossing them around. That's it. Android is still a junky knockoff, but it's a better knockoff than any of the idiots at RIM or Microsoft could come up with. It's serviceable. So, the carriers push it to keep from becoming beholden to Apple.
It'll be interesting to see what'll happen over the next decade as wifi networks become ubiquitous and the carrier's networks won't matter as much for many folks (especially city dwellers). I'm sure the cable companies would love a slice of the mobile telecom pie too, which could accelerate the migration. I think the carriers are going to lose the ability to dictate which devices people use for telecommunications, and at what price. Apple is uniquely positioned to benefit from such a trend. The other makers all seem to depend upon the carriers to plug their junk. It'll be interesting to see what happens when the gatekeepers are no longer directing traffic their way.