Apple surpassed Hewlett-Packard in 2010 to become the world's largest buyer of semiconductors among original equipment manufacturers, according to a new report from IHS iSuppli. Driven by booming demand for the company's iconic mobile 
devices, Apple spent $17.5 billion on semiconductors last year -- up 79.6 percent from 2009 and $2.4 billion higher than what HP paid for semiconductors in 2010.
What's more, iSuppli forecasts that Apple will continue to extend its expenditure lead this year by spending $22.4 billion on semiconductors, while HP and Samsung Electronics are expected to spend $14.8 billion and $14.3 billion, respectively.
Apple's iPhone and iPad products "consume enormous quantities of NAND flash memory , which is also found in the Apple iPod," said iSuppli analyst Wenlie Ye. "Because of this, Apple in 2010 was the world's No. 1 purchaser of NAND flash."
High Mobile Growth Rates
A major factor behind Apple's growing semiconductor expenditures is the high growth rates for mobile devices such as smartphones and web tablets in comparison with growth rates for the desktop PC, notebook and server products sold by HP. According to Ye, 82 percent of HP's semiconductor spending during 2010 was dedicated to those three PC segments.
IDC expects global PC shipments to rise just 4.2 percent this year because of heightened consumer interest in media tablets as well as rising global economic concerns. Still, the firm's analysts see microprocessor shipments in the PC market's mobile, desktop and x86 segments growing 10.3 percent this year. "Generally, the demand environment for the second half of this year looks decent," said IDC Director of Semiconductors Shane Rau.
When it comes to robust growth, however, the tablet and smartphone markets clearly offer gadget makers the best revenue opportunities. IDC predicts tablet shipments will achieve a growth rate of nearly 350 percent this year.
A total of 44.6 million media tablets are projected to ship this year, with Apple expected to maintain a 70 to 80 percent market share. Furthermore, IDC forecasts that global smartphone shipments will grow 55 percent year over year to 472 million this year, with shipments expected to nearly double by the end of 2015. (continued...)
| 1 | 2 | Next Page > |
0 komentar:
Post a Comment