Google’s Android operating system has generated revenue of $31bn and profit of $22bn in its lifetime- a figure that Apple made just within the last quarter alone.
Photo credit: Tsahi Levent-Levi via Flickr
The figures released in court during a lawsuit between Oracle and Google, show just how good Apple is at making money out of its platform.
In an effort to prove the commercial importance of Java as it pertains to Android, an Oracle attorney revealed that Android, since 2008, has generated $31 billion in revenue and $22 billion in profits for the search giant.
Google, naturally, was none too pleased with the revelation, with Bloomberg noting:
“Google urged a San Francisco federal judge on Jan. 20 to redact and seal portions of the public transcript of last week’s hearing, saying the Oracle attorney improperly disclosed “extremely sensitive information” from documents that were marked “Attorney’s Eyes Only.”
Google bought Android for just $50m back in 2005, meaning a profit of $22bn within 10 years is certainly impressive.
However, the difference in profits between Android and the iPhone is huge, even if the comparison is unfair. Google makes money from Advertising, whereas Apple generated most sales from hardware.
For comparison, Apple generated $32.2bn revenue from the iPhone in the fourth quarter of 2015 alone – a figure that doesn’t include its income from the App Store and iAd platforms, each the most direct comparators for Google’s Android revenue.
Google’s makes money from Android in two ways: it takes a proportion of the sales of apps and media on the Google Play Store, and it shows display advertising to Android users.