Apple Inc. (AAPL) Edged By Samsung With Google Inc (GOOG)’s Help

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) vs. Samsung is heating up. You have seen the commercials. You have read the reviews. You are well aware that the two companies are fighting in court rooms all over the world. While the smartphone battle may be between these two companies, you have to throw Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) into the mix. The reason is simple: Samsung smartphones are powered by the Android operating system.

Apple Inc. (AAPL) Edged by Samsung with Help of Google Inc (GOOG)In one way, this pits Apple against Google just as much as Apple against Samsung.

Canalys recently published its final quarter two 2013 smartphone shipment estimates by vendor. The company tracks roughly 50 countries, keeping a close watch on which vendors are dominating and which ones are dropping back in the pack.

Should Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) be Worried?

Google Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) and its Android operating system have a big advantage because its OS is not used in one phone. Instead, there are multiple vendors using it.

On the other hand, Apple only has the iPhone.

Even more of a concern for Tim Cook and Jony Ive is the fact that Samsung is doing a lot of damage. The company is willing to spend money on marketing and advertising, and this is really paying off.

According to Canalys, both Samsung and Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) grew their shipments during the previous quarter. However, Samsung dis so by 55 percent with Apple clocking in at 20 percent.

Plain and simple, this is a win for both Samsung and Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG).

There is even more concern for Apple. The report, with the help of Jessica Kwee, Canalys Analyst, goes on to add that Apple market share dropped to its lowest level since the first quarter of 2009. Fortunately, things were not as bad as they could be thanks to the fact that some of the company’s older models picked up the slack.

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) has to be concerned about this. As bad as these numbers may sound, there is something else Cupertino has to consider: Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) is about to launch its Moto X. This will give the search engine giant bullet.

Samsung has edged out Apple thanks to its reliance on the Google Android operating system.

If Apple continues to go down this path, could it impact the way hedge fund managers invest? These guys love Apple but could reconsider in the future: David Einhorn, Jeffrey Edwards, Mark Diker, Stuart Peterson, and Christopher Hansen.

Wondering why Samsung is picking up so much steam? This video may help you better understand:

Disclosure: none