iPhone accounts for two-thirds of Apple’s profits, 77% of AT&T’s smartphone sales

Nov 14, 2012 09:03 GMT  ·  By

A report by Fierce Wireless names the most powerful people in the wireless industry today, putting Apple’s chief executive officer at the top of the list. The analysis says Apple could generate $30 billion in profit from the iPhone alone this year.

Since the iPhone accounts for 77 percent of smartphone sales at AT&T, analysts conclude, “It should come as no surprise then that Cook wields enormous power in the wireless industry.”

“And though the gadget accounted for a smaller percentage of smartphone sales at Verizon Wireless … and Sprint Nextel … , it's clear the device remains a critical element of the U.S. market,” reads the whitepaper.

Citing numbers released by from investment firm Canaccord Genuity, the report also mentions that Samsung and Apple have managed to capture “106 percent of the handset industry's profits.”

Fierce Wireless cautions that “Cook's tenure at Apple's helm isn't all smooth sailing,” pointing out to his main job at the Cupertino company – “to defend Apple from competitors.”