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By the Numbers: Apple’s Earnings, Sales and Revenue Figures. What does it all mean?
Posted:
January 25, 2012
By: ccsoya
13 comments
Apple concluded its Q4 financial report earlier this morning and as usual, the numbers are phenomenal. What makes the figures even more amazing is that they surpass even the most optimistic of estimates affirming Apple’s position as the largest technology company by market value in the world.
Apple sold 15.4 million iPads and a staggering 37 million iPhones, making the last quarter its best ever. These are certainly impressive numbers but what does it all mean? Let’s put these figures into perspective.
Market value of almost $400 billion
Apple is hovering just a whisker off its record high. Many on Wall Street target $550 to $600 per share as an achievable milestone: assuming no change in existing shares, that would accord the Silicon Valley titan a value of as much as $560 billion, equivalent to the annual Gross Domestic Product of Switzerland.
Exxon has a market value of $420 billion, annual revenue about four times Apple’s and twice the tech company’s roughly 46,000 employees.
Revenue grew 65% from US$43 billion to US$108.25 billion in fiscal year 2011
That is akin to creating a Fortune 500 company from scratch. For instance, a revenue of precisely $43 billion would place the company below Intel Corp and Sears Holdings Corp – 56th and 57th, respectively, on the 2011 U.S. Fortune 500.
Near $100 billion cash reserve
One of the reasons Apple’s shares trade at a relatively low multiple is because it has huge amounts of cash that investors say can be put to better use. Its cash balance stood at $97.6 billion at the end of December, roughly equivalent to California’s 2012/13 state budget
Apple’s $13 billion profits surpassed Google’s entire revenue of $10.6 billion. Apple’s profits for 2011 exceed Google’s revenue in the same period.
iPad
Apple sold more iPads than HP sold personal computers – 15.4 million iPads versus by Gartner’s estimates of 14.7 million HP computers sold
iPhone
iPhone sales double with every new model:
In 2009, Apple sold more iPhones than it did in 2007 and 2008 combined
In 2010, Apple sold more iPhones than it did in 2007, 2008, and 2009 combined
In 2011, Apple sold 93.1 million iPhones, slightly more than it did in in 2007, 2008, 2009, and 2010 combined
It is estimated that Apple has surpassed Samsung’s smartphone sales figures, with 37 million iPhones sold versus an estimated 35 million Samsung smartphones sold in the same period. This puts Apple back in top spot as the largest smartphone manufacturer in the world.
Apple sold 92.94 million iPhones and 40.43 million tablets in the 2011 calendar year. If you laid these devices end-to-end, they would just about stretch halfway around the Earth’s circumference that’s over 20 million thousand kilometres.
Just think about that for a moment.
[source: Reuters, PhoneArena]
13 Comments for By the Numbers: Apple’s Earnings, Sales and Revenue Figures. What does it all mean?
butthurt?
android fan boi gonna come in and comment!!!
asswipe
just think about it for a moment, how stupid-er the world has probably become judging by the "magnificent" sales figures n not to mention the ridiculously growing zombie-like queues whenever assple launches some shit.
paperapa
this is the power of idea that Steve Job had developed through his entire life from a soul searching trip to India to experiment himself with drug.
appsfanatic
Who would've thought a company that sells computers would be the biggest seller in the smartphone sector 
Hand of Nod
Apple has created a cult which degraded humanity. Because of this craze, people are willing to sacrifice sleep and even force their elderly and children to queue up for mere materialistic things. What this all means humanity is facing its doom sooner than we think.
asswipe
amen.
Henry
Internet too. So stop commenting here cuz using Internet degrading humanity also. Porn, msn and fb friends
asswipe
but nobody queues for internet or pays rm2199 for a goddamn modem.
101
Unless it is a shiny white modem from Apple!
Fred
Wow ccsoya, good job at taking some numbers, making comparisons between random things and blowing them out of proportion without providing any insight, or "perspective". Yes Apple have done well this year, but not sure why people are oohing and aahing as if they are the only company in history to make a large profit.
"as usual, the numbers are phenomenal." as usual? really ccsoya? You do remember that Apple almost went bankrupt earlier? And that Microsoft helped them out with $150Mn? So not sure that "as usual" applies.
"Market value of almost $400 billion". Market value doesn't really mean a lot. Just represents what people are buying and selling the stock for. And in particular the last sale. So if some person decides to overpay for 50 shares, thats the market cap. Look for it to go down after the initial hubris dies down and the dumb money is finished being dumb. What matters is the forward cash flow and margins (or at least thats part of what matters). Ask your local private equity or venture capitalist.
Want some other big numbers? Lets take IBM them. They have over 420,000 employees. Which makes it the same size as Brunei (but i'm sure the Sultan has a much cooler car collection). IBM's revenue is about 5 times the GDP of Brunei, as is Apple's. Revenue is a more interesting comparison as its about wealth generation, as opposed to a last sale price. Relevance? None.
"Its cash balance stood at $97.6 billion at the end of December, roughly equivalent to California’s 2012/13 state budget". California's state pension fund, Calpers is worth USD229 Bn now. Not sure how its connected, but hey thought I'd throw that out there too.
"Apple sold more iPads than HP sold personal computers – 15.4 million iPads versus by Gartner’s estimates of 14.7 million HP computers sold". Umm.. so? point being? There's a tradeoff here? Why not compare it to pineapples as well? Or spark plugs?
Here is some perspective from a player in the same market segment. If you take the logic that delivering massive numbers of phones is about a good supply chain (which no doubt Apple has), here is a stat for you. Nokia sells 400 million phones a year. In other words, they sell more in one quarter, than Apple do in a year. Agree that most of those phones are not smartphones but its about pushing phones out the factory door rather than a sexy design or UI.
Oh you mean 20 thousand kms right? Don't forget to divide by 1000 to go from metres to km….
If you put 400 million phones end to end, it would stretch for over 53,000 kms. Or easily more than once around the Earth's circumference.
Just think about that for a moment.
topo
sudah makan ubat ka you?
texta
So what does it all mean?
The most impressive part is that the iPhone is pricey than any Samsung smartphones and still outsold any Samsung smartphones model AND combined – estimated though.