As a result of the on-going Apple-Samsung trial, both companies have been forced to reveal detailed information on their sales figures. Through the court filings, the amazing success of Apple’s iPhone can be put into hard numbers. AllThingsD posted mobile sales of both companies on Thursday, detailing the number of units sold as well as the revenue earned by each model cited in the case.
The boom in Apple’s business since the release of the iPhone has been well-documented in their quarterly earning reports, but the direct impact of the smartphone on their revenue numbers is staggering. Since the release of the original iPhone in June 2007, the various models of the phone have sold some 85 million units, resulting in $50 billion in U.S. revenue. The biggest shift in the iPhone boom came in 2011, when Apple ended its exclusive relationship with AT&T, and brought the iPhone to other cellular carriers.
Apple and Samsung are currently in a dispute over patents, with Apple having filed suit claiming that Samsung’s more recent designs were “slavishly copying” the iPhone model. As a counter-measure, Samsung filed a counter suit claiming that Apple had violated patents involving the way mobile communications are handled in general. Samsung released information dating back to June 2010, having shipped two dozen different smartphone models in that time. While the company sold 21.3 million units total, Apple sold 60.1 million iPhone in the same time period.
As the smartphone market grows more competitive, more disputes have arisen over smartphone patents. Though Apple stands as the clear leader, it is uncertain whether or not the new iPhone 5 model will be able to maintain the same level of dominance for the company. Apple is seeking $2.5 billion in damages from Samsung, and a victory could mean a lot for the company’s aggressive legal campaign against its competition.
