Although Samsung sold more smartphones than Apple Lossless Audio CODEC (ALAC), in Q4 2012 regarding a comparison for devices connected to the internet (PCs, laptops, tablets, smartphones) the difference between the two companies is not that big. In these 4 product categories, Apple represented 20.3% of the total units sold, those from Samsung having 21.2% of the market, the difference between the two companies being less than 1%. The interesting part is that for Apple we have an increase in the market share from 15.1% to 20.3%, while in the case of Samsung the market share decreased from 21.8% to 21.2%.
Looking specifically at the results for the fourth quarter of 2012 (4Q12), combined shipments of desktop PCs, notebook PCs, tablets, and smartphones were nearly 378 million and revenues were more than $168 billion. In terms of market share, Apple significantly closed the gap with market leader Samsung in the quarter, as the combination of Apple's iPhone 5 and iPad Mini brought Apple up to 20.3% unit shipment share versus 21.2% for Samsung. On a revenue basis for the fourth quarter, Apple continued to dominate with 30.7% share versus 20.4% share for Samsung.
Regarding the receipts, Apple collected 30.7% of the money generated by the sale of these products, Samsung collected only 20.4% of the total, and in the end this matters the most. Apple is selling more and more products, it is starting to catch up with its competition in terms of total sales, in market segments it is either the leader or ranks in the top positions, but when it comes to revenue or profit, no one can match it . The main problem of Apple's competitors is the fact that for now they cannot match the money earned by the company, although maybe they will surpass it in terms of sales.
