The IPhone actually has no competition, where it matters most

MG Siegler wrote to TechCrunch since 2009. It covers web, mobile, social, big companies, small companies, in fact all. And Apple. A lot. Prior to TechCrunch he covered various technology beats for VentureBeat. Originally from Ohio, mg attended the University of Michigan. He had previously lived in Los Angeles, where he worked in Hollywood and in San Diego where ... ? Read More

Profit.

There is no point in burying the lede.

In the past two years, it seems as though every story in the mobile space has been on the war between the iPhone and Android. Hell even though he was not technically the theme of our first CrunchUp Mobile last week, it's all who would like to talk about there as well.

This is a sexy story, because it has two companies, Apple and Google, which could not be more different. And now the two companies dominating the mobile landscape. And the cherry on top of that they used to be close allies. They Eric Lehnsherr and Charles Xavier.

Four years ago, Apple came out quite literally anywhere (in a mobile phone) and ended up completely. However, in the past few years, they watched their former ally take command in terms of market share. It was a story that everyone keeps talking about — including Apple, which regularly takes a lyre swipes at Google because they often involve misleading numbers as activations per day.

But part of me wonders if this is not just Apple, using some very smart reverse psychology and manipulation. The media clearly distracted by the large numbers, and Apple may be just fine, the assignment of that history (pretend they care, you see, to keep us interested) while they take a real prize.

Again profits.

Although you can find dozens of stories every week on how Android is now the dominant mobile and ready for further domination, as the rest of the world continues to shift to smartphones, most forget that this is perhaps more important than story. To find that all you have to do is follow Horace Dediu, excellent Asymco blog.

There you will find stories and data as this one from earlier today: the share of income had increased to Apple Phone 28%. Dediu shows data Apple now makes more revenue in the mobile space than their competitors. This list includes HTC, RIM, LG, Sony-Ericsson, Motorola, Samsung and Nokia.

In this regard, Apple's share has doubled since the end of 2009, is right about when Android began to take. And although many above competitors now make Android devices, HTC has witnessed a significant increase in revenue share for the same — and their share is nothing like Apple.

But again, it's not even real story either. The real story is briefly covered in the Individual number in the diagram above, but more fully explore a few days ago here: Apple captured two-thirds of the profits available mobile phones in Q2.

Take a moment to sink in Apple now controls over 66% of total profit among major players in the mobile space. HTC, RIM, LG, Sony-Ericsson, Motorola, Samsung and Nokia combined for the remaining 33 or so per cent profit in space (some of them: Nokia, Motorola, LG and Sony actually lose money).

Apple, the company "lose" the great race Mobile Android, Android destroys everything, combined producers when it comes to profits. You know, the money that you get to keep at the end of the day. In business terms, is really the only thing that is important.

While one distracted by raw numbers of battle, Apple quietly win this war.

Google apparently nowhere to be seen in these figures, because they don't actually Android phones just powers of their operating system. If you were to include them at a profit chart, they would have a tiny Sliver. As big as Google got Android still does a lot of money from the operating system, at least nothing near that Apple sees the quarter on a quarter of the iPhone. And as benchmark capital partner Bill Gurley pointed out a few months ago, perhaps even Android point not really profit for Google.

Of course you could argue that if Android continues to eat up market share, in the end, they must win the developers which may lead to Android phones, ultimately making more money than the iPhone. But two years after Android started "victory", there is absolutely no evidence of this actually happening. Instead, the opposite occurs. The dominance of Apple's profits continue to grow each quarter.

In addition, I'm not so sure that Android's market share will continue to grow after the iPhone launches on Verizon and 5 AT&T in the United States and dozens of other carriers in the world. Already there are many signs that Android March is slowing down and/or stopped. And if the rumors of low-cost iPhone are accurate, Apple's massive growth in places such as China can be just the beginning.

But I think Apple just fine, having all believe that Android is dominating the mobile space. They wipe their tears defeated with cold hard cash.

Started by Steve jobs, Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne, Apple has expanded from computers to consumer electronics over the past 30 years, officially change their name from Apple Computer.

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In July 2005, Google acquired Android, a small startup company based in Palo Alto, CA. Android co-founders who went to work at Google included Andy Rubin (co-founder of ...

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