Corporation leaps ahead of Samsung

Apple has become the biggest semiconductor buyer in the world, having spent $17 billion on chips in 2011, says Gartner. The research group notes that Apple spent 34.6 percent more last year than it did in 2010, leapfrogging out of third place to beat Samsung, which managed $16.7 billion for 2011. HP sits at third in the new results, having paid out $16.6 billion. Apple saw the fastest growth of any party in the top 10.

Lenovo also made big gains in 2011, spending 23.7 percent more year-over-year, coming in at eighth place. Nokia suffered the most by contrast, slipping from fourth to fifth place with a 20.1 percent drop in semiconductor buys. In all the top 10 electronics makers spent a combined $105.6 billion, up 1.8 percent over 2010.

"The major growth drivers in 2011 were smartphones, media tablets and solid-state drives (SSDs)," according to Masatsune Yamaji, a principal research analyst at Gartner. "Those companies that gained share in the smartphone market, such as Apple, Samsung Electronics and HTC, increased their semiconductor demand, while those who lost market share in this segment, such as Nokia and LG Electronics, decreased their semiconductor demand. Media tablets were also a growth driver for the semiconductor market throughout 2011."

Apple's figures are said to represent a five-year long growth pattern, traceable to when the original iPhone was launched in 2007. The company grew its smartphone share even further in 2011, and required still more semiconductor parts thanks to successful iPad and MacBook Air sales.

By Electronista Staff