Column: Apple techs earn 5-times the revenue of Android techs

Looking at T-Mobile's G1 phone from 2008, it's hard to believe the Android of today began with such a clunky device.

During this past quarter, Google's mobile phones made up four out every five shipped. Considering Apple came in a distant second with just under 13%, that is a staggering lead.

Then again, Apple is definitely no slouch when it comes to profits. Not only does Cupertino lead the industry in hardware profit margins, in-app purchases and developer revenue completely trounce that of Android's offerings.

According to some number-crunching by Business Insider, the gap between iOS and Android in terms of app revenue, advertising, developer fees, and commerce is nearly equal -- with Android earning $0.91 for every iOS dollar. Even just looking at mobile ad revenue, Google holds its own by earning $0.77 for every dollar that Apple makes.

But then comes a huge drop-off.