When Apple released their numbers for the fourth quarter in late October, the reaction from analysts and commentators was less than glowing. Apple missed earnings expectations, sold fewer iPads than expected and its margins had declined… Blah, blah, blah… But what do Apple’s numbers look like when you compare them to their competitors?
From October 2011 to September 2012 Apple made more money than Microsoft, Ebay, Google, Yahoo! Facebook and Amazon combined. In that same period, Dell, Asus, Intel, Acer, IBM, Lenovo, and HP (basically the entire PC industry) only made $19.3 billion in profit, which is less than half of Apple’s profit.
The numbers show that despite any recent dip, Apple is still the highest valued company in the world, and their business remains incredibly profitable.
