iPhone and Android Duopoly Nears Peak With Estimated 99.9% Market Share Last Year

[kdarling]

I think what Apple did this past quarter, when it comes to reporting the iPhone channel inventory change, was even trickier than you suggest.
...
That doesn't mean iPhone channel inventory increased by 1 million (or so) more than it increased by in the previous December quarter (i.e. by around 2.2 million). That means the number of iPhones in channel inventory at the end of this December quarter was 1 million (or so) greater than it was at the end of the previous December quarter.

Durn, I think you’re right. Good eyes!

That said, and even though it makes sense that the channel build was much larger in the most recent December quarter, I think Apple tried to obfuscate how much larger it was by reporting on the channel inventory in a way that was much different than - and less direct than - the way it had, for quite a while, been reporting on channel inventory.

But gosh, how clever it was! Apple elevates verbal handwaving to truly artistic levels. Just as they have invented novel methods to avoid taxes, they seem to constantly come up with new ways to use a factual statement to effectively hide less favorable information.

 

[I7guy]

Durn, I think you’re right. Good eyes!



But gosh, how clever it was! Apple elevates verbal handwaving to truly artistic levels. Just as they have invented novel methods to avoid taxes, they seem to constantly come up with new ways to use a factual statement to effectively hide less favorable information.

Tax avoidance is certainly an art and all should practice it. Tax evasion, not so much.

 

[kdarling]

Tax avoidance is certainly an art and all should practice it. Tax evasion, not so much.

No, everyone should NOT do like Apple and create convoluted offshore shill companies and methods to avoid paying taxes. It might be legal, but it's not what the tax laws intended.

Such over-the-top tax avoidance efforts rob the countries they do business in.

For example, in 2013 ANZ Bank made about AUS $6 billion in revenues, upon which they paid about $2 billion in Australian taxes... about 30%. Bravo for the Aussie home company!

In 2013, Apple also made about $6 billion in Australia, but they paid less than $40 million in taxes (< 1%) because of their clever offshoring accounting tricks. Almost all of the rest of the money left Australia.

Apple does this same kind of tax avoidance in every country it does business in.

While it might be legal to use a dozen unforeseen tax loopholes strung together in a clever fashion, there's certainly nothing honorable about it. Ditto for the other companies who followed Apple's lead.

 

[I7guy]

No, everyone should NOT do like Apple and create convoluted offshore shill companies and methods to avoid paying taxes. It might be legal, but it's not what the tax laws intended.

Such over-the-top tax avoidance efforts rob the countries they do business in.

For example, in 2013 ANZ Bank made about AUS $6 billion in revenues, upon which they paid about $2 billion in Australian taxes... about 30%. Bravo for the Aussie home company!

In 2013, Apple also made about $6 billion in Australia, but they paid less than $40 million in taxes (< 1%) because of their clever offshoring accounting tricks. Almost all of the rest of the money left Australia.

Apple does this same kind of tax avoidance in every country it does business in.

While it might be legal to use a dozen unforeseen tax loopholes strung together in a clever fashion, there's certainly nothing honorable about it. Ditto for the other companies who followed Apple's lead.

There is nothing morally (imo) wrong with taking advantage of loopholes. The only way companies will learn is to be banned from doing business in a country. But I’m okay with creative legal accounting.