Samsung Electronics and Apple remained the top semiconductor buyers in 2014, representing a combined semiconductor demand of 17 per cent, according to Gartner. Samsung Electronics and Apple together consumed $57.9 billion (€51 billion) of semiconductors in 2014, an increase of $3.9 billion from 2013. This means the two smartphone giants have topped the semiconductor consumption table for four consecutive years and their decisions have considerable technology and pricing implications for the whole semiconductor industry. However, Gartner noted that while Samsung kept its position as the largest customer of semiconductor chip vendors, its growth rate in 2014 was lower than the global semiconductor market's growth, in part because the Korean vendor has struggled in the smartphone market. Release