Apple's Share of Cellphone Industry Profit Estimated at 32% for First Half of 2009

"Our analysis indicates that Apple's iPhone accounted for only 8% of handset industry revenues but 32% of industry operating profits in 1H09," Sacconaghi wrote in a note to clients today. "Even if we exclude the operating losses generated by Motorola and Sony Ericsson, Apple still accounted for 25% of industry profits. iPhone's success is akin to Apples position in the PC industrywhere the company enjoys an estimated 25% of industry profits, despite capturing only 6% of industry revenues."

The study follows on the heels of earlier estimates for all of 2008 from Deutsche Bank analyst Brian Modoff showing that Apple claimed 20% of the handset industry's profits. That earlier study had also estimated that Apple and Research in Motion's combined share of industry revenue would rise to 58% in 2009 from 35% in 2008, numbers which bear close resemblance to the first-half 2009 data released by Sacconaghi estimating the combined companies' share of profits at 54% (Apple 32%, Research in Motion 22%).