Apple is in a position to overtake Samsung as world's top chip buyer

One indicator of healthy mobile device or PC sales is the amount of money a company spends on chips that go into those devices.

So it should come as no surprise that Apple was the world's second-largest chip buyer last year, spending more than $29 billion, up by 7.1 percent compared to 2014, according to a study released by Gartner on Wednesday.

Apple is now in a position to reclaim its position as the top chip buyer from Samsung, which spent $29.87 billion last year, a 3.6 percent decline.

A lot of the semiconductors were purchased for the iPhone, iPad and Macs. Apple tends to buy in bulk to get better pricing on components.

But it isn't easy for Apple to pass on savings from bulk chip purchases to its mobile device and Mac buyers as it spends a lot on research and development, said Masatsune Yamaji, principal research analyst for Gartner.

To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here