Apple trumps market leader Nokia as most profitable

Richard Goodwin

Analysts have estimated that Apple’s iPhone operating profits are the highest in the industry, overtaking both Nokia and Samsung in the last quarter of 2009.

According to Strategy Analytics, Apple has beat both Nokia and Samsung - the two largest mobile phone manufacturers in the world - to yield the highest total operating profits.

This was additionally confirmed by a Reuters report that suggested Apple’s profits to be at nearly $1.6 billion in quarter three of 2009, compared to Nokia’s $1.1 billion for the same period.

Additional reports suggest that both Apple and RIM, while only accounting for five per cent of the market, are the clear front-runners in terms of operating profits - combined, the two companies take 58 per cent of the markets total operating profits.

However, both Samsung and Nokia seem to be fighting back.

Nokia released its first Maemo powered device this week, and Samsung has announced plans to develop its own smartphone platform, known as Bada. Both of which were no doubt a direct challenge to the self-contained smartphone OSs of the Apple, Palm, and RIM devices.