Apple, the company that has upgraded consumer technologies to fetishized objects of social status and desire, has posted that its fourth-quarter profits for 2014 were $18 billion – over $2bn more than the previous record, held by ExxonMobil, in 2012.
The BBC reports that Apple’s increased sales, which included 74.5 million iPhones, were propelled in part by a 70% increase in sales in China. The company averaged an almost 40% profit margin per product, which yielded greater profits overall despite Samsung having sold more phones overall. While the iPad has continued its decline in sales (dropping 22%), it is expected this will be offset by sales of the iWatch, when it is released in April. More eye-opening stats available in the BBC’s article, Apple posts the biggest quarterly profit in history.