Apple Vs Samsung: Apple Closing in on Samsung in Connected Devices Department

Apple Vs Samsung: At this point, it is no surprise to anybody that Samsung is Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s biggest competitor. The two companies are fighting it out for supremacy in a variety of spaces, while also locking horns in courtrooms across the world.

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) may be the smart money’s second favorite publicly traded company but hedge funds have started dumping the Cupertino-based company in favor of a surprising financial stock (see which stock hedge funds are buying like crazy).

With all this in mind, it is often times a challenge to stay current with how the two companies are actually faring against one another.

International Data Corporation (IDC) does a great job of tracking what is going on in the tech space. This often times means taking a closer look at what both Samsung and Apple are doing.

Earlier today, the company posted this press release on its website: Worldwide Smart Connected Device Market Crossed 1 Billion Shipments in 2012, Apple Pulls Near Samsung in Fourth Quarter, According to IDC

There are two things to take away from that title. First and foremost, the smart connected device market is growing by leaps and bounds. Secondly, Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) is gaining ground on Samsung.

When you take a closer look at the results for the fourth quarter of 2012, you will begin to see that the Cupertino-based company is gaining on Samsung. Here is what the press release had to say:

“Looking specifically at the results for the fourth quarter of 2012 (4Q12), combined shipments of desktop PCs, notebook PCs, tablets, and smartphones was nearly 378 million and revenues were more than $168 billion. In terms of market share, Apple significantly closed the gap with market leader Samsung in the quarter, as the combination of Apple’s iPhone 5 and iPad Mini brought Apple up to 20.3% unit shipment share versus 21.2% for Samsung. On a revenue basis for the fourth quarter, Apple continued to dominate with 30.7% share versus 20.4% share for Samsung.”

As you can see, Apple is not that far behind Samsung, when based on fourth quarter numbers, when it comes to market share.

At this point, the big question remains: what is IDC going to report when the first quarter of 2013 comes to an end? Did Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) do enough to take the lead or did Samsung steal back some of its advantage?

Check back here for more updates on Apple Vs Samsung.

DISCLOSURE: I have no positions in any stock mentioned.

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