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Apple to eat up increasing share of mobile revenues and profits next year

While Apple doesn't sell more smartphones than all other device makers put together, it does earn more profits that the rest of the industry combined, and its profit share is expected to continue to grow in 2012.

According to an investor report by Oppenheimer published in part by Fortune, Apple's share of smartphone shipments have put it in second place behind Samsung but above long time leader Nokia.

However, Apple's share of the smartphone market's revenues has increased at a much faster pace, with the company taking in nearly 40 percent of all mobile dollars.

In terms of profits, however, Apple is inhaling closer to 65 percent of the industry, and the company is expected to retain and even grow its outstanding revenue percentage next year.

Nokia's shipments have conversely collapsed over the same seven year period, falling from nearly half of all smartphones sold in 2006 before the iPhone appeared to just over an estimated 10 percent next year.

Samsung and HTC are the only other companies to significantly and consistently experience growth in shipments since the iPhone appeared, but neither has been able to replicate Apple's performance in generating steady increases in both revenue share and operating profits.