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The Almighty Buck Businesses Iphone Apple

Apple Beats Sales Estimates Amid Reports of Poor Demand For iPhone X (bloomberg.com) 107

Apple today reported revenue and profit that beat analysts' estimates and projected continued sales momentum. The results come amid reports that demand for its flagship iPhone X have fallen. Bloomberg reports: Apple revenue rose 16 percent to $61.1 billion in the fiscal second quarter. That was the fastest growth in more than two years. Profit came in at $2.73 a share, the company said Tuesday in a statement. Analysts expected sales of $60.9 billion and earnings per share of $2.64, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Fiscal third-quarter revenue will be $51.5 billion to $53.5 billion, also ahead of Wall Street forecasts.

Apple sold 52.2 million iPhones in the fiscal second quarter, up 2.9 percent from a year earlier. Analysts had projected of 52.3 million, on average, although some investors expected fewer units. The average selling price was $728, versus analysts' expectations of $740. That suggested the flagship iPhone X didn't perform as well as some anticipated when it launched last year. Earlier this year, Chief Financial Officer Luca Maestri said iPhone revenue would grow by at least 10 percent year-over-year in the fiscal second quarter. Apple easily hit that goal, with 14 percent iPhone revenue growth in the period.

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Apple Beats Sales Estimates Amid Reports of Poor Demand For iPhone X

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  • Suckers!! (Score:5, Interesting)

    by SuperKendall ( 25149 ) on Tuesday May 01, 2018 @07:48PM (#56539058)

    Ha ha! You morons fall for trumped-up reports of Apple sales declines like EVERY QUARTER so the short sellers can cash in.

    The amusing thing is, the Apple Haters of Slashdot act as a tool of the wealthy elite.

    • Re: (Score:2, Interesting)

      by Anonymous Coward

      Ha ha! You morons fall for trumped-up reports of Apple sales declines like EVERY QUARTER so the short sellers can cash in.

      The amusing thing is, the Apple Haters of Slashdot act as a tool of the wealthy elite.

      What torture lurks within a single thought
      When grown too constant; and however kind,
      However welcome still, the weary mind
      Aches with its presence. Dull remembrance taught
      Remembers on unceasingly; unsought
      The old delight is with us but to find
      That all recurring joy is pain refined,
      Become a habit, and we struggle, caught.
      You lie upon my heart as on a nest,
      Folded in peace, for you can never know
      How crushed I am with having you at rest
      Heavy upon my life. I love you so
      You bind my freedom from its rightful quest.
      I

    • Apple sold almost exactly the same number of phones as last year. Unless you think they can keep increasing the price of their phones or somehow makeup for the loss of unit growth by selling billions in services then the profit growth for the company is nearing its end.
      • Re:Suckers!! (Score:5, Insightful)

        by Ronin Developer ( 67677 ) on Tuesday May 01, 2018 @08:13PM (#56539158)

        They sell the same number of units as last year at a higher price and post a profit? So, how exactly is demand down?

        What is says is that people still like their products. The price point was a bit high for many, but it still sold. Go figure.

        If they lower their price point on a feature similar model later this year, they will outsell the competitors yet again.

        • When did he say demand was down? He said profit growth was nearing its end. Different things. How much do you think apple will put next years at, more than this years, or do you think they will sell even more at the same price?

          What it really says is the distortion field is still strong enough for people to line up and spread their cheeks for the unlubed apple cock. Prices up, quality down, extra subscription services piled on top and people still defend them as if not only is their behaviour fine it's als
      • Or - as you might expect - they will offer a lower cost but same size device, with an edge to edge screen + a larger edge to edge screen device and that will increase their sales volume while slightly reducing average device profit.

        That said, they sell 100 phones every minute of every day so there is going to be an upper bound somewhere.

        • with an edge to edge screen + a larger edge to edge screen device

          If results are any indication, they need to come out with a model with an even bigger notch. And a negative headphone jack. Meaning, a phone with a protuberance that sticks out of the side of the case a little about the size of a 3.5mm plug and pokes you in the thigh if you have the phone in your pocket. To remind you how brave you were to choose a phone without a headphone jack.

          Also, more dongles. Maybe some wireless dongles this time.

          • with an edge to edge screen + a larger edge to edge screen device

            If results are any indication, they need to come out with a model with an even bigger notch. And a negative headphone jack. Meaning, a phone with a protuberance that sticks out of the side of the case a little about the size of a 3.5mm plug and pokes you in the thigh if you have the phone in your pocket. To remind you how brave you were to choose a phone without a headphone jack.

            Also, more dongles. Maybe some wireless dongles this time. A bluetooth home button would be nice.

            Why don't you take your tired Meme and go home?

            The People are voting with their wallets. Over 60 BEELION Votes, in fact!

            • Yeah, the sunk cost fallacy coupled with locked in syndrome will do that.
              • Yeah, the sunk cost fallacy coupled with locked in syndrome will do that.

                Riiiiight. Keep telling yourself that.

                • Yeah man, I paid 1000 bucks for this thing it must be awesome...it just has to be...I wouldn't waste a cool grand on a piece of shit cheaply made tack would I? No, I'm way smarter than that, this thing is fucking awesome. Look at it's emoji thing and super sexy (fragile) glass front and back, yeah, a thousand, awesome. Plus all my music, photos apps and data are all locked on the iwhatevers so if I change phones I have to start again from scratch, fuck that. Yeah, a thousand dollars well spent!
        • Or - as you might expect - they will offer a lower cost but same size device, with an edge to edge screen + a larger edge to edge screen device and that will increase their sales volume while slightly reducing average device profit.

          That won't work for Apple at all, in fact it will just make them perform worse. This is owing to an anomaly of supply and demand. Apple is a producer of what are called Veblen goods. Veblen goods will sell LESS volume if you lower their price. In other words, the high price itself is what gives it its value. If you're looking for function alone, Android has been two years ahead of Apple since 2013. People who buy Apple aren't interested in that, they're interested in status. Think designer clothing; little

      • Re:Suckers!! (Score:5, Interesting)

        by ShanghaiBill ( 739463 ) on Tuesday May 01, 2018 @08:22PM (#56539200)

        then the profit growth for the company is nearing its end.

        Apple has a P/E of 18. Nobody is expecting much profit growth.

        The average P/E for the S&P 500 is 24.

        Amazon has a P/E of over 300, which means investors are expecting Amazon's profits to soar ten-fold.

        • by mentil ( 1748130 )

          Amazon reinvests nearly all its profits into the company, to minimize taxes and maximize growth. It's done pretty well for them so far. Investors probably expect this to end once Bezos is out, just like Apple implemented dividends and stock buybacks after Cook took over.

        • ...which means investors are expecting Amazon's profits to soar ten-fold.

          Three Times Hurrah!!!! ... for unrealistic expectations.

      • Apple sold almost exactly the same number of phones as last year. Unless you think they can keep increasing the price of their phones or somehow makeup for the loss of unit growth by selling billions in services then the profit growth for the company is nearing its end.

        Ah! Hello, old Meme! So Glad to see ye!

        Apple Computer: Proudly Going Out of Business for over FORTY Years!!!

        • Apple sold almost exactly the same number of phones as last year. Unless you think they can keep increasing the price of their phones or somehow makeup for the loss of unit growth by selling billions in services then the profit growth for the company is nearing its end.

          Ah! Hello, old Meme! So Glad to see ye!

          Apple Computer: Proudly Going Out of Business for over FORTY Years!!!

          Ah, only in the head of an apple addict does profit growth nearing end equal going out of business. Strawman much?

          • Apple sold almost exactly the same number of phones as last year. Unless you think they can keep increasing the price of their phones or somehow makeup for the loss of unit growth by selling billions in services then the profit growth for the company is nearing its end.

            Ah! Hello, old Meme! So Glad to see ye!

            Apple Computer: Proudly Going Out of Business for over FORTY Years!!!

            Ah, only in the head of an apple addict does profit growth nearing end equal going out of business. Strawman much?

            And only in the head of an Apple Hater does the richest (or one of the richest) companies on Earth have a "Profitability" problem.

            Ridiculous much?

            • Who said anything about a problem? Or do you believe a companies profits can grow forever until they reach infinity? There is a line somewhere where everyone who wants an ipos has one, they are running out of markets to open into so they have to sell the new ones to people with old ones, put prices up or add cost via services to keep it going and it looks like they go for all three. Even the most die hard of apple fans has to realise there is a ceiling for how much profit they can make and to increase that
      • Apple sold almost exactly the same number of phones as last year.

        So did Samsung, LG, and HTC. Yet, for some reason, you don't have the same dire predictions for those brands.

        I Wonder why...

        • by dgatwood ( 11270 )

          That's actually a good question. Maybe we should see those same dire predictions for those brands, if not more dire. After all, the smartphone industry as a whole is growing, and if a company's sales are flat, that means they're losing market share. The question then becomes who they are losing market share to, and what impact that will have on their long-term business prospects.

          For Apple, as long as people who buy iPhones tend to spend more money on apps and in-app purchases than the average Android use

          • That's actually a good question. Maybe we should see those same dire predictions for those brands, if not more dire. After all, the smartphone industry as a whole is growing, and if a company's sales are flat, that means they're losing market share. The question then becomes who they are losing market share to, and what impact that will have on their long-term business prospects.

            For Apple, as long as people who buy iPhones tend to spend more money on apps and in-app purchases than the average Android user, losing a little market share won't hurt that much. For an Android vendor, losing a little market share could be the first step towards losing a *lot* of market share.

            I think the recipient this past year of MOST of the "lost sales" was Oppo. Don't know why; but if their phones are as good as their Optical Disc players, I can understand to some extent.

            Of course, they are still that Android horseshit; but for SOME reason, some people actually LIKE that INSECURE crap...

      • Apple sold almost exactly the same number of phones as last year. Unless you think they can keep increasing the price of their phones or somehow makeup for the loss of unit growth

        I'm curious where you get from "sold the same number" to "loss of unit growth" HUR DE DUR DUR.

        What you also skipped over was that selling the same number of phones Apple increased profits over last yer. Why, it's ALMOST like Apple has multiple product lines that are ALSO growing! HUH!

        Meanwhile as profit continues to grow year afte

      • Apple sold almost exactly the same number of phones as last year. Unless you think they can keep increasing the price of their phones or somehow makeup for the loss of unit growth by selling billions in services then the profit growth for the company is nearing its end.

        They sold 2.9% more, when the whole market for smartphones was flat or even down. There were several stories on Slashdot that concluded from this "Peak Smartphone" that Apple's sales of iPhones would be down.

    • Ha ha! You morons fall for trumped-up reports of Apple sales declines like EVERY QUARTER so the short sellers can cash in.

      The amusing thing is, the Apple Haters of Slashdot act as a tool of the wealthy elite.

      Precisely!

    • Re: (Score:1, Funny)

      by fattmatt ( 1042156 )

      Apple is lying, they are broke, nobody is buying iPhones. Consumers want a basic phone with replaceable battery and open software stack. A music player that blocks any attempt to listen to pop music would be a nice option as well.

    • by dj245 ( 732906 )

      Ha ha! You morons fall for trumped-up reports of Apple sales declines like EVERY QUARTER so the short sellers can cash in.

      It will be interesting to see if the common usage and meaning of "trumped up" changes after the current presidency.

  • Apple sold 52.2 million iPhones in the fiscal second quarter, up 2.9 percent from a year earlier. Analysts had projected of 52.3 million, on average

    The headline says that Apple "beat sales estimates". I don't have a calculator handy, but I believe 52.2 million is less than the projected 52.3 million.

    • Apple sold 52.2 million iPhones in the fiscal second quarter, up 2.9 percent from a year earlier. Analysts had projected of 52.3 million, on average

      The headline says that Apple "beat sales estimates". I don't have a calculator handy, but I believe 52.2 million is less than the projected 52.3 million.

      If the average estimate is 52.3 million, then some estimates were lower than 52.3 million, and Apple beat some of the estimates. Still a bullshit headline, because the implication of such a statement is that one beat all or most of the estimates, which is not the case.

    • "Apple revenue rose 16 percent to $61.1 billion in the fiscal second quarter. ... Analysts expected sales of $60.9 billion"

      $61.1 billion is larger than $60.9 billion.

  • Where was the supercycle on the promised iphone X on the back of it copying Androids full screen designs? The phone that is the defining phone for the next 3 years. It turns out it is no iPhone 4; Which earned Apple its Premium label, or the iPhone 6; copying other Manufactures bigger and growing Androids screens.

    It turns out copying 2011's Googles Nexus one's lackluster feature of facial recognition is still lackluster 7 years on. They should drop it like 3D touch.

    Its all a bit MEH; Selling LESS phones for

    • The shitty part is the distance, and support. I got a Red Note 4 Pro and the camera didn't work out of the box. Using Xiaomi's own counterfeit app, it reported suspect. They still insisted it was legit and not tampered based on serial number on the box. Support took several days between shitty, shitty broken English. Return was out of pocket and took 6 weeks to be credited. Ordered two more of a different model, and those users haven't reported any issues. $180 cad all in for specs equivalent to over $600
  • That's the impressive part.

    • They've finally stopped wildly over- and under-predicting Apple's performance. They used to make estimates that were out-and-out ridiculous, 10-30% higher than Apple's own guidance. Some analysts have been lowballing Apple for a while now, for who-knows-what reason. This time they actually paid some attention, it seems, despite the weird doom-and-gloom stories about the iPhone X this year.

      • I wish these news stories would include the companies' guidance from the beginning of the quarter along with the analyst estimates.I have trouble finding the guidance figures after the fact.

If all the world's economists were laid end to end, we wouldn't reach a conclusion. -- William Baumol

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