Tag Archives: aapl

BlackBerry appears likely to be sold for parts

With customers jumping ship to other smartphones, BlackBerry’s rescue mission could soon become a recovery operation. Pfizer (PFE), one of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies, recently told its BlackBerry users to switch to an Apple iPhone or Google (GOOG) Android-based handset when their wireless contracts permit an upgrade, Bloomberg reported Thursday . Pfizer is concerned that BlackBerry might not be around in the future or that service could be interrupted, Bloomberg reported. Pfizer employs about 90,000 people, and its BlackBerry deployment is “sizable … huge,” AllThingsD reported . Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of Defense, owner of 470,000 BlackBerry (BBRY) handsets, is readying a contingency plan for moving away from the BlackBerry platform, NextGov reported Monday . For now, only BlackBerry devices are approved to operate on the Pentagon’s network. Once a favorite among corporate and government customers because of its secure email system, BlackBerry has seen its market share tumble as Apple ‘s (AAPL) …

Apple is padding its smartphone profit

Already the most profitable smartphone vendor around, Apple is boosting its income with high-margin handset accessories. When Apple launched its new iPhone 5S and 5C smartphones at retail on Sept. 20, it paired them with a line of protective and fashionable cases. The iPhone 5S cases are made of premium leather with a soft microfiber liner and cost $39 each. The iPhone 5C cases are made of silicone and cost $29 each. Apple’s move into smartphone cases is taking business away from third-party accessories makers, especially OtterBox, says Mike Levin, partner and co-founder of Consumer Intelligence Research Partners. A survey of 400 iPhone users who activated their handsets in the 30 days after the iPhone 5S and 5C launch shows that Apple (AAPL)  has quickly become the No. 2 seller of iPhone cases behind OtterBox, CIRP reported Thursday. The poll revealed that 76% of new iPhone buyers also bought …

Apple, Samsung combine for 109% of smartphone profit

Samsung sells more smartphones, but Apple (AAPL) still leads in smartphone profit. In the third quarter, Apple generated $6.49 billion in operating income from smartphone sales, while Samsung took in $6.13 billion in operating profit, Canaccord Genuity analyst Mike Walkley said in a research note Thursday. Apple’s operating profit margin on its iPhones was 33% in Q3, while Samsung’s was 20%. In a mathematical quirk, Apple and Samsung combined for 109% of the industry’s total profit. That’s because the rest of the industry lost money on smartphone sales. Apple and Samsung together made $12.61 billion in operating income, while the top eight smartphone manufacturers had $11.64 billion in profit. Nokia (NOK), BlackBerry (BBRY), Google’s   (GOOG) Motorola, LG and HTC lost money on smartphones, while Sony (SNE) broke even in Q3, Walkley said. Apple accounted for 56% of industry smartphone profit, while Samsung rang up 53%, Walkley said. Apple and Samsung…