“It took Samsung a further two years to release the first device in their Galaxy series of smartphones; and for Nokia, Motorola and Blackberry, early leaders in the mobile device industry, it was a disruption from which they never fully recovered eventually resulting their exits from the mobile device market.”
Over 10 years, an investment in Samsung would have climbed 213%. However, Nokia’s fortunes have taken a turn for the worst; an investment in the company would have fallen by 41%, while Blackberry is down even more at 76%.
As per its latest factsheet, AXA Framlington Global Technology Fund held Apple as one of its largest holdings at 8.1%, second only to Alphabet at 9.4%.
Gleeson believes Apple has demonstrated leadership in revenues, profitability and technological innovation around the smartphone industry, introducing more features and services, which has had a major impact, not just on the mobile phone industry but also elsewhere such as SatNavs, cameras, and handheld gaming devices.
“The success of the iPhone has been a huge boon to the semiconductor industry, and also to software developers worldwide, who have benefited from access to a worldwide audience via Apple’s own App Store,” he said.
