Apple
- Collected applications
- 531
- Share of collected applications with IPC
- 4.8%
Coverage is incomplete; counts and shares describe only the collected subset.
View Apple publications in this fieldCompany patentsCompare
HEAD TO HEAD
AppleMicrosoftNVIDIA
Technology portfolios compared in the same window and counting units. Scale is compared only within the same field or subclass.
+ Agricultural Bank of China2025-01 — 2025-12+ Alibaba2025-01 — 2025-12+ Alphabet (Google)2025-01 — 2025-12+ Amazon2025-01 — 2025-12✓ Apple2025-01 — 2025-12+ Bank of China2025-01 — 2025-12+ BOE2024-01 — 2024-12+ Broadcom2025-01 — 2025-12+ BYD2024-01 — 2024-12+ CATL2024-01 — 2024-12+ China Construction Bank2025-01 — 2025-12+ China Mobile2025-01 — 2025-12+ CXMT2025-01 — 2025-12+ Eli Lilly2025-01 — 2025-12+ Huawei2024-01 — 2024-12+ ICBC2025-01 — 2025-12+ Meta2025-01 — 2025-12✓ Microsoft2025-01 — 2025-12+ Midea2024-01 — 2024-12+ Kweichow Moutai2025-01 — 2025-12✓ NVIDIA2025-01 — 2025-12+ PetroChina2025-01 — 2025-12+ SpaceX2025-01 — 2025-12+ Tencent2025-01 — 2025-12+ Tesla2025-01 — 2025-12
Same window · published 2025-01-01 — 2025-12-31Some name or date coverage is incomplete; affected counts are lower bounds
This is a structural comparison of collected portfolios. The same requested window does not establish equal entity scope, covered months or industry; no competitive ranking is inferred.
Applicant-name coverage differs. The counts below cover only the listed names and do not represent complete company portfolios.
Apple: Applicant names included in these statistics — APPLE INCReviewed names not covered — APPLE COMPUTER INC · APPLE COMPUTER, INC. · APPLE INC. · APPLE, INC.
Microsoft: Applicant names included in these statistics — MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING LLCReviewed names not covered — MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING, LLC · MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING, LLC.
NVIDIA: Applicant names included in these statistics — NVIDIA CORPReviewed names not covered — NVIDIA CORP. · NVIDIA CORPORATION
Apple
- Publications
- 12,360
- Invention share
- 87%
- Concentration
- 0.38
- Green technology
- —
Microsoft
- Publications
- 7,140
- Invention share
- 97%
- Concentration
- 0.59
- Green technology
- —
NVIDIA
- Publications
- 2,387
- Invention share
- 81%
- Concentration
- 0.66
- Green technology
- —
0.85
Apple × Microsoft
0.74
Apple × NVIDIA
0.97
Microsoft × NVIDIA
01Technology field mirror
The 12 fields with the largest combined share. Share shows structure; count shows scale.
| Technology field | Apple / Microsoft / NVIDIA |
|---|---|
| Computer technology | 39.1% 72.5% 79.3% |
| Digital communication | 42.1% 22.4% 9.1% |
| Audio-visual technology | 14.2% 10.5% 8.8% |
| Telecommunications | 13.9% 3.3% 2.4% |
| Measurement | 5.7% 2.1% 7% |
| Optics | 7.2% 3.8% 0.8% |
| Electrical machinery, apparatus, energy | 4.8% 2.1% 1.1% |
| Control | 1.9% 1% 5% |
| Transport | 0.6% 0.1% 6.9% |
| IT methods for management | 2.4% 4.2% 0.5% |
| Semiconductors | 3% 2.1% 1.1% |
| Basic communication processes | 2% 1.3% 1.8% |
Inspect one technology field
Inspect collected applications, portfolio share and supporting publications within one field. A technology overlap does not establish that companies in different industries are direct competitors.
Microsoft
- Collected applications
- 147
- Share of collected applications with IPC
- 2.1%
Coverage is incomplete; counts and shares describe only the collected subset.
View Microsoft publications in this fieldNVIDIA
- Collected applications
- 25
- Share of collected applications with IPC
- 1.1%
Coverage is incomplete; counts and shares describe only the collected subset.
View NVIDIA publications in this fieldOne application may belong to multiple fields, so shares can sum to more than 100%. Drill-down lists publications; an application publication and its grant may appear separately.
02Same problem: shared IPC subclasses
The 10 subclasses in every company's top 60 with the most combined applications. Scale is compared within a subclass, never across different business scopes.
G06FData processing
Apple3,635
Microsoft3,890
NVIDIA881
H04WWireless networks
Apple3,570
Microsoft196
NVIDIA42
H04LDigital transmission
Apple2,146
Microsoft1,379
NVIDIA155
G06TImage processing
Apple986
Microsoft479
NVIDIA719
G06NComputing models, AI
Apple200
Microsoft1,064
NVIDIA497
H04NPictorial communication, video
Apple931
Microsoft482
NVIDIA127
H04BTransmission
Apple981
Microsoft108
NVIDIA43
G06VImage and video recognition
Apple417
Microsoft295
NVIDIA403
G02BOptical elements
Apple679
Microsoft236
NVIDIA13
G10LSpeech processing
Apple240
Microsoft250
NVIDIA87
03Where each one leans
Observed emphasis within each company’s collected top-60 IPC subclasses. A dash for another company means outside its top-60 list, not zero applications or a market gap. Incomplete coverage can also change the ordering.
Apple
- H04WWireless networks
- Apple
- 3,570
- Microsoft
- 196
- NVIDIA
- 42
- H04BTransmission
- Apple
- 981
- Microsoft
- 108
- NVIDIA
- 43
- G02BOptical elements
- Apple
- 679
- Microsoft
- 236
- NVIDIA
- 13
- H04MTelephonic communication
- Apple
- 405
- Microsoft
- 83
- NVIDIA
- 5
- H04RLoudspeakers, microphones
- Apple
- 318
- Microsoft
- 35
- NVIDIA
- 5
- G09GDisplay control
- Apple
- 300
- Microsoft
- 69
- NVIDIA
- 11
Microsoft
- G06FData processing
- Apple
- 3,635
- Microsoft
- 3,890
- NVIDIA
- 881
- H04LDigital transmission
- Apple
- 2,146
- Microsoft
- 1,379
- NVIDIA
- 155
- G06QBusiness data processing
- Apple
- 264
- Microsoft
- 290
- NVIDIA
- 12
- H10N
- Apple
- —
- Microsoft
- 45
- NVIDIA
- —
- C12QBiochemical testing
- Apple
- —
- Microsoft
- 24
- NVIDIA
- —
- G09B
- Apple
- —
- Microsoft
- 24
- NVIDIA
- —
NVIDIA
- G06TImage processing
- Apple
- 986
- Microsoft
- 479
- NVIDIA
- 719
- G06VImage and video recognition
- Apple
- 417
- Microsoft
- 295
- NVIDIA
- 403
- B60WVehicle sub-unit control
- Apple
- —
- Microsoft
- —
- NVIDIA
- 138
- G06NComputing models, AI
- Apple
- 200
- Microsoft
- 1,064
- NVIDIA
- 497
- G05D
- Apple
- —
- Microsoft
- —
- NVIDIA
- 64
- B25JManipulators, robots
- Apple
- —
- Microsoft
- —
- NVIDIA
- 60
04Publication rhythm
| Period | Apple | Microsoft | NVIDIA |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-01 | ≥1,049 (partial coverage) | ≥539 (partial coverage) | ≥182 (partial coverage) |
| 2025-02 | ≥968 (partial coverage) | ≥503 (partial coverage) | ≥166 (partial coverage) |
| 2025-03 | ≥1,319 (partial coverage) | ≥603 (partial coverage) | ≥170 (partial coverage) |
| 2025-04 | ≥1,232 (partial coverage) | ≥647 (partial coverage) | ≥158 (partial coverage) |
| 2025-05 | ≥993 (partial coverage) | ≥566 (partial coverage) | ≥193 (partial coverage) |
| 2025-06 | ≥846 (partial coverage) | ≥487 (partial coverage) | ≥183 (partial coverage) |
| 2025-07 | ≥956 (partial coverage) | ≥686 (partial coverage) | ≥243 (partial coverage) |
| 2025-08 | ≥989 (partial coverage) | ≥563 (partial coverage) | ≥182 (partial coverage) |
| 2025-09 | ≥906 (partial coverage) | ≥587 (partial coverage) | ≥265 (partial coverage) |
| 2025-10 | ≥928 (partial coverage) | ≥689 (partial coverage) | ≥234 (partial coverage) |
| 2025-11 | ≥1,005 (partial coverage) | ≥582 (partial coverage) | ≥199 (partial coverage) |
| 2025-12 | ≥1,169 (partial coverage) | ≥688 (partial coverage) | ≥212 (partial coverage) |
Empty dashed outlines mark uncollected periods. Hatched bars and ≥ counts mark partial coverage.
Publication timing follows examination and publication cycles, not R&D intensity.
What makes it comparableThe same publication window and counting units. Companies with different windows are not put in one comparison.
What is not comparableGroup totals. Business and entity scopes differ; compare scale within a field or subclass.
Not a rankingSimilarity and shares describe structure, not patent value, quality or technical leadership.