Q$1.$ Apple has sustained a strong competitive advantage $($manifested in profitability$)$ over competitors in the global smartphone industry. As an illustration, in Q$22023$ Apple iPhone had a $17\%$ share of global smartphone shipments which translated to $45\%$ of the global smartphone revenue and $85\%$ of the global smartphone profit $($source Links to an external site.$).$ The chart below shows Apple's shares of global smartphone operating profit, revenue, and shipment in comparison with other smartphone companies from Q$22022$ to Q$22023.$

Please pick and respond to ONE of the following questions.

Q$1-1.$ Analyze the sources of Apple's superior profitability $($competitive advantage$)$ in the global smartphone industry using the value chain framework. Keep in mind that a firm can increase its profitability by lowering cost and$/$or increasing willingness to pay in each value activity.

Q$1-2.$ Analyze the sources of Apple's sustained competitive advantage in the global smartphone industry using the resource$-$based view of the firm. Identify several resources or capabilities of Apple and discuss whether any of them satisfy the VRIN criteria simultaneously. $[$VRIN $=$ valuable, rare, inimitable $($difficult to imitate$),$ and nonsubstitutable $($difficult to substitute$)].$ The class is business policies