GigaOM points out that a recent analyst report has named Apple as the world’s most profitable handset vendor for the third quarter of this year. The report by Strategy Analytics is currently only available to subscribers, but GigaOM has shared the relevant bits from analyst Alex Spektor:

We estimate Apple’s operating profit for its iPhone handset division stood at $1.6 billion in the third quarter of 2009.

With strong volumes, high wholesale prices and tight cost controls, the PC vendor has successfully broken into the mobile phone market in just two years.

Comparatively, Nokia brought in $1.1 billion in Q3. This isn’t a trend I see stopping anytime soon. Nokia was king of the hill when it came to the first wave of cellphones, but they’ve consistently failed to adapt to the changing marketplace brought upon by the iPhone and the rise of other smartphones. And now that Palm’s Web OS phones and Google Android handsets are on the market, eager to innovate and get whatever marketshare they can, Nokia just seems like a lumbering dinosaur.

[Source: GigaOM]