Apple Spent $1.1 Billion Marketing iPhone & iPad

Apple spent more than US$1.1 billion marketing its iPhone and iPad since 2007, and that doesn’t include money spent in 2012 for the iPhone. The revelation came during Apple’s patent trial with Samsung when Phil Schiller, Apple’s vice president of marketing, testified on Friday.

Apple's Big Pile of iPhone Cash

The Wall Street Journal reported that Mr. Schiller testified that Apple spent $647 million marketing the iPhone from its 2007 release through fiscal 2011, which ended in the September quarter of that year.

Apple reached this rather large number despite the fact that Apple made the calculated choice not to advertise the iPhone between January of 2007 when it was announced and June 2007 when it actually shipped.

Mr. Schiller also said that Apple has spent another $457.2 million marketing the iPad just since that device’s release in April of 2010.

Another fun tidbit includes internal Apple data that found that 78 percent of iPhone owners buy cases for their devices, key strategic information that Apple would most likely have preferred not be publicly released.

In fact, Apple asked Judge Lucy Koh to seal proprietary marketing information, calling the information a trade secret. Judge Koh rejected the request, and told Apple that it could appeal her decision if it wanted.

Apple is in court accusing Samsung of copying its designs and infringing on its patents, while Samsung is counter suing for infringement of some of the company’s standards-essential patents (SEPs).