Looking at the graph above it really feels like Apple is taking huge leaps in growth while the rest of the industry is happy to be taking baby steps. iSuppli today says that with the help of the iPad, Apple passed Samsung and HP in 2010 to become the largest consumer of semiconductors in the world. While 2010 is relatively close still, 2011 will have Apple pulling away from the pack.
NAND Flash for iOS devices was a big contributor to Apple’s rise.
Apple in 2010 bought $17.5 billion worth of semiconductors, a 79.6 percent increase from $9.7 billion in 2009. This represented the highest rate of increase among the world’s Top 10 OEM semiconductor buyers, allowing Apple to rise up two positions to take the No. 1 rank in 2010. Apple in 2009 was the third-largest semiconductor purchaser, behind Hewlett-Packard Co. of the United States and Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. of South Korea; it was sixth in 2008.
Via iClarified
- iSuppli: Japan disaster could constrain iPad 2 part supply (9to5mac.com)
- iSuppli: Foxconn explosion could cost Apple half a million iPads (9to5mac.com)
- iSuppli: Apple chasing Nokia for the title of the world’s #1 smartphone maker (9to5mac.com)
- DigiTimes: Labor and materials shortage could affect iPad, iPhone shipments in Q2 (9to5mac.com)
- Component shortages likely to delay May shipments for iPad rivals (9to5mac.com)
- Samsung: Apple lawsuit “not legally problematic” as we “continue to work with Android on future tablets” (9to5google.com)
- iOS 5 for iPad video walkthrough: iMessages, Music, Safari, Twitter, and more (9to5mac.com)
