Apple Revenue Pops 11% To $123.9 Billion Despite Supply Chain Concerns (cnbc.com) 65
According to CNBC, Apple "beat analyst estimates for sales in every product category except iPads and overall revenue was up 11% annually." This is despite global supply chain challenges caused by the covid-19 pandemic. Here is how Apple did in the quarter ending Dec. 25 versus Refinitiv consensus estimates (via CNBC): EPS: $2.10 vs. $1.89 estimated, up 25% year-over-year
Revenue: $123.9 billion vs. $118.66 billion estimated, up 11% year-over-year
iPhone revenue: $71.63 billion vs. $68.34 billion estimated, up 9% year-over-year
Services revenue: $19.52 billion vs. $18.61 billion estimated, up 24% year-over-year
Other Products revenue: $14.70 billion vs. $14.59 billion estimated, up 13% year-over-year
Mac revenue: $10.85 billion vs. $9.52 billion estimated, up 25% year-over-year
iPad revenue: $7.25 billion vs. $8.18 billion estimated, down 14% year-over-year
Gross margin: 43.8% vs. 41.7% estimated
[Apple CEO Tim Cook] said that the company's supply issues were improving. He said that in terms of supply challenges, the December quarter was worse than Apple's September quarter, but that he is projecting the March quarter to improve. "Our biggest issue is chip supply, it's chip supply on legacy nodes," Cook said. "And we're doing okay on the leading edge stuff." [...] "What we expect for the March quarter is solid year-over-year revenue growth," Cook said. "And we expect supply constraints in the March quarter to be less than they were in the December quarter."
Revenue: $123.9 billion vs. $118.66 billion estimated, up 11% year-over-year
iPhone revenue: $71.63 billion vs. $68.34 billion estimated, up 9% year-over-year
Services revenue: $19.52 billion vs. $18.61 billion estimated, up 24% year-over-year
Other Products revenue: $14.70 billion vs. $14.59 billion estimated, up 13% year-over-year
Mac revenue: $10.85 billion vs. $9.52 billion estimated, up 25% year-over-year
iPad revenue: $7.25 billion vs. $8.18 billion estimated, down 14% year-over-year
Gross margin: 43.8% vs. 41.7% estimated
[Apple CEO Tim Cook] said that the company's supply issues were improving. He said that in terms of supply challenges, the December quarter was worse than Apple's September quarter, but that he is projecting the March quarter to improve. "Our biggest issue is chip supply, it's chip supply on legacy nodes," Cook said. "And we're doing okay on the leading edge stuff." [...] "What we expect for the March quarter is solid year-over-year revenue growth," Cook said. "And we expect supply constraints in the March quarter to be less than they were in the December quarter."
Or you have a cult on your side (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:Or you have a cult on your side (Score:5, Insightful)
It's not just the fact that every manufacturer has slave labor, if any manufacturer wanted to stand out and *not* use slave labor they would end up with a cost disadvantage relative to all their competitors. While there are some people who would happily pay more for a device that was more ethically built, the number of people who care only about the cost is far higher so it would significantly harm their business.
The only way to prevent slave labor and other unethical but profitable practices is legislation forcing everyone to drop it at the same time. Noone wants to be the first, as it would be business suicide.
Re:Or you have a cult on your side (Score:4, Informative)
if any manufacturer wanted to stand out and *not* use slave labor
All labor is slave labor if you define a "slave" as someone who can't buy whatever they want without working for it.
If someone earns enough to live a decent life and is free to quit their job and find another, perhaps we shouldn't be calling them "slaves".
Disclaimer: I have been to the Hon Hai factories in Shenzhen, where Apple devices are manufactured. They are clean, air-conditioned, well-lit, and no one was chained to their desk. Dormitories are available but optional and few employees use them. Most live in off-site apartments. Few employees have a car, but most have scooters. It is absurd to call these people "slaves" and doing so is an insult to people who have experienced real slavery.
Re: (Score:2)
In the Western world, it may be extremely uncommon, see this story: https://www.theatlantic.com/ma... [theatlantic.com] But in the world, I'm sure too many are still living in slavery. It's not a thing of the past, although for most of us I hope it's nothing common nor close.
You are confused (Score:3, Insightful)
Nothing Android can do will ever make them switch.
That's on Google, not Apple. I wouldn't switch to Android for anything either, but that is way more about Google running Android than Android itself.
Also you should give it some time, not sure why you think Android is better at handling WiFi but I personally think iOS is way, WAY better in regards to managing connections. As are a lot of other UI things that I find I like much better in IOS, maybe in time you'll realize why some of them are better.
At this
Your religious devotion proves my point. :) (Score:2)
Nothing Android can do will ever make them switch.
That's on Google, not Apple. I wouldn't switch to Android for anything either, but that is way more about Google running Android than Android itself.
Also you should give it some time, not sure why you think Android is better at handling WiFi but I personally think iOS is way, WAY better in regards to managing connections. As are a lot of other UI things that I find I like much better in IOS, maybe in time you'll realize why some of them are better.
At this point, Apple only competes with themselves, it seems.
Well that's because people like you keep demanding everything else turn into Android, where Google wins by default - Apple has been the only one strong enough to resist. Be glad there is choice for others.
With one sentence, you prove my point " I wouldn't switch to Android for anything either" What if the next version of Android is a godsend? What if the next version of iOS is total garbage? What if Apple took everything you liked about iOS and abandoned it and Google came out with something that is not only sublime, but 2x as fast and has 4x the battery life, from software optimizations alone? While not particularly likely, you've decided the future without knowing anything about what the future will br
Whoooosh! (Score:2)
You know, SuperKendall actually did explain why he said that. Maybe you stopped reading. It was about Google having its fingers in every phone and every website and the amount of tracking that Google engages in. Not as bad as Facebook in their intent but that's a truly low bar to compare against.
Which obviously translates to: It makes no difference what the phone specs or capabilities are.
rational to reject tangible + for theoretical-? (Score:2)
You know, SuperKendall actually did explain why he said that. Maybe you stopped reading. It was about Google having its fingers in every phone and every website and the amount of tracking that Google engages in.
Which obviously translates to: It makes no difference what the phone specs or capabilities are.
Your statement could not be more irrational. You haven't stated an objective downside to Google, but you seem to assess it like an existential threat. The downsides of Google and Facebook are pretty theoretical, unless you know something I don't. Do I like being tracked? No. It's creepy, but it means I am served more relevant ads and to this date, I don't know of a single instance in which my life was tangibly made worse by facebook or google tracking me. I've used Google since the late 90s and Facebo
Re: (Score:1)
It was about Google having its fingers in every phone and every website and the amount of tracking that Google engages in....
You haven't stated an objective downside to Google
Umm, say what now? How much more objective and fact based can it get? None more, that's how much more.
Re: (Score:1)
just get a phone that doesn't have Googles fingers in your phone. There are many.
That is a good point but....
Problem with that is, there are two sides to a phone- software and hardware.
The phones that are not controlled by Google, have much worse hardware, and hardware quality (especially camera quality) is not something I'm willing to compromise on.
Furthermore, I didn't want to mention it beside it's a side issue, but the software security of Android is horrific even without Google being in the picture.
It's still theoretical, not tangible or objective (Score:2)
It was about Google having its fingers in every phone and every website and the amount of tracking that Google engages in.... You haven't stated an objective downside to Google
Umm, say what now? How much more objective and fact based can it get? None more, that's how much more.
Is drinking holy water better for you? Theoretically, in the minds of some yes. Objectively? No. I am pretty confident that with a double-blind survey holy water will not be proven to be superior to the same water before it is blessed by a priest. I am confident you and I can agree that drinking holy water is not objectively better.
What about tracking? You keep saying "tracking is bad." How? How is my life worse because Google tracked me? Is the phenomena objectively observable? Let's imagine
Re: (Score:2)
"A great example is the Apple Watch: terrible battery life, unimpressive sensors, broken sleep tracking. It's horrible. Fitbits are pretty well made and a better experience, especially for fitness and sleep tracking"
This is just post-hoc rationalisation. Each of the statements you made is just opinion dressed up as fact. Plus you're almost ostentatiously ignoring the many other things people use their Watch for -- messaging, Apple Pay, unlocking their iPhone with a mask on, unlocking their Mac, listening to
Definitely first hand disappointment with Apple (Score:2)
I'd be curious whether you're forming your views on the basis that you had a Watch and didn't like it, or whether it's entirely theoretical. I'm guessing the latter, which if true would be even less credible ("here's some reasons I've imagined but not personally experienced for why the Apple Watch is crap")
I'm wearing one right now...their latest Series 7. And yes, this is my experience one month in switching from Fitbit to Apple. I recently moved from Pixel to iPhone and went all in, including the watch...figured if I'm going to do it, might as well do it right.
The apple watch has SHIT battery life. It has to be charged every day. Fitbits range from weeks with the simple tracker to days with their premium smart watches. The fitbits also, TMK, do everything Apple does. All those apps you described wo
Preconditions deny your supposition (Score:1)
With one sentence, you prove my point " I wouldn't switch to Android for anything either" What if the next version of Android is a godsend
Since Google would still be using it to spy and feed you ads....
A) It can never be Godsend as long as it's under Google, not possible.
B) The price you pay for any amazing ability is, to quote the meme, "Too Damn High". I prefer to buy products rather than be them.
As a concrete and real example, I did think the Android night shot was fairly nice. But it was incrementally
Re: Your religious devotion proves my point. :) (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Being locked in the walled garden is a deal breaker for me. I use quite a lot of open source apps, some of which are not allowed on the Android app store (e.g. DNS66). The freedom to use the software of my choice is important to me.
The other big thing keeping me on Android is the Pixel camera. It's the best overall, but quite a big margin. The iPhone camera isn't bad, but it's not in the same league as the Pixel one, or a few other Android ones for that matter. Apple seem to have decided to go for consisten
Re: You are confused (Score:2)
Life is too short for shitty tools (Score:2)
I've never been disappointed in an Apple product but I've been dissapointed by lots of other devices with ostensibly superior specs or lower cost. Apple still is in the category of "it just works ". I don't worship my Apple products. quite the reverse. I don't have to tear my hair out or regret buying it. I don't need to anguish over reviews ti see which computer has better reviews because I know if I buy Apple that's moot. It's a tool and it's going to be extremely satisfying. And as for the myth of th
Re: (Score:2)
Apparently something like 70% of people in the 18-25 age range in the United States has an iPhone. I didn't realize how popular they were in the US, because in Europe that isn't the case. Here iPhone are more of an older people's thing, a safe default choice.
Yepp. Pretty much. (Score:2)
One of the many things that Apple has going for it that no other tech company has:
Apple is not just a tech company, it is also a premium fashion brand.
This is a headspace no other tech company could even dream to be in.
Example: Just look at HPs attempts to mimic that with their "Envy" product line.
It's cute at best, like a kid showing up with a kiddy-balancing-bike to a local mtb trailpark competition because daddy is in the race too as a seasoned pro with his custom Nicolay mtb.
Razer gets a few things righ
Re: (Score:1)
Apple has been killing it with new products (Score:4, Insightful)
I'm not too surprised at this, Apple has a fantastic range of products now.
I can't think of a single product line where they didn't release some really nice updates in the last year or two - the new phones have been great, the new iPads a really nice mix of sizes and abilities, and of course especially the new Macs - you can easily see there how the actual result was a *billion* dollars higher for Mac revenue than the estimates for that segment.
Obviously I am an Apple fan and biased here, but clearly the across-the-board increases reflect a wider group of people feel the same way.
The only surprise to me is that they were able to actually assemble and ship enough devices to actually make higher numbers when there have been so many supply disruptions over the last year...
I think this result shows just how wizard Apple is at managing supply chains, which was always Tim Cook's core strength. That alone could be the key skill for success in any company over the coming years, maybe at this point Apple really is better off with Cook at the helm than Jobs.
Re: (Score:2)
The fact that the US gov. was able to murder Huawei in China is remarkable. I can't imagine China will just let that slide. Be really interesting to see ho
Re: Apple has been killing it with new products (Score:2)
I think that the Mac revenue could have been higher still given smoother supply, the new macbook pros still have a long wait. I must say that I find mine (14â, M1 Max) fantastic.
Re: (Score:1)
I was surprised that the iPad revenue was lower than expected.
Wow, I didn't notice that was down from expectations, I guess I stopped reading after all the other Ups... :-)
That does surprise me also because the new iPad mini is the first iPad in years that had me seriously thinking of upgrading from an older iPad Pro... I didn't end up doing it but it looked like a really great mix of features and price.
I myself don't have an M1 laptop yet, but will within the next year or so I'm pretty sure. Heck that mi
Re: (Score:2)
This. I ordered a MacBook Pro at the beginning of December, and expect to get it in February. Most of Apple's USB-C power supplies (the Mac-sized versions, anyway) have been out of stock for something like half a year, with orders taking one to two months to arrive.
I've actually been buying mostly third-party power supplies recently, because I can't get Apple power supplies in a timely manner. That's real dollars that Apple is losing because they can't meet demand. Meanwhile, Chinese importers are havi
Re: (Score:2)
The Mac delays, I understand. I bought a high-end configuration (64 GB/8TB), and for cost reasons, they probably prioritized low-flash configurations for manufacturing because they can have higher unit sales that way. Also, they probably bin their CPUs by burning out on-die RAM banks that don't work and shipping the resulting chips in low-end configurations that include less RAM, so there's probably a higher volume of silicon available at lower RAM capacity. And for all I know, they may not have even st
Re: (Score:2)
> I can't think of a single product line where they didn't release some really nice updates
their wireless headset didnt get any new useful features since it got out years ago
Re: (Score:2)
> I can't think of a single product line where they didn't release some really nice updates
their wireless headset didnt get any new useful features since it got out years ago
I think you may be confused. All three of their wireless headphone lines have seen hardware of feature updates within the last year (or so). The base AirPods line saw a hardware update just 3 months ago, the AirPods Max (which is what I think you were referring to?) was launched just 13 months ago, and the AirPod Pro got Spatial Audio in 2020 and Conversation Boost in 2021, so it’s not lacking for updates either, even if it may be due for a hardware revision.
Re: (Score:1)
I think this result shows just how wizard Apple is at managing supply chains, which was always Tim Cook's core strength. That alone could be the key skill for success in any company over the coming years, maybe at this point Apple really is better off with Cook at the helm than Jobs.
This is just of a variant of the old "rich becomes richer", ie big becomes bigger. Apple's the biggest consumer tech company in the planet, so I'd expect it to weather the supply chain crisis better than the smaller companies.
Re: (Score:2, Troll)
Apple sells a small cloth for $20. Apple can put out almost anything, price it at 20x what competitors charge and sell out in minutes. Yes, there is a shortage of Apple cleaning cloths.
Re: Apple has been killing it with new products (Score:4, Informative)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: Apple has been killing it with new products (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
I just bought a set of TaoTronics headphones (Score:1)
I have no doubt Apple is more profitable than ever. They've got markups north of 300%. I get if you're hard up for a Unix PC without the hassle, but I just don't get the rest of Apple's devices.
Re: I just bought a set of TaoTronics headphones (Score:3)
Re: (Score:2)
I think the gp saying "They've got markups north of 300%", despite sounding very exaggerated, is most likely correct given an "overall gross margin of 43.8%". You wouldn't expect the same gross margin across all their product lines, so for it to be that high overall, it could be quite excessive for some products and airpods are probably among the bad cases among "real" products (i.e. disregarding things like the $20 piece of cloth).
Re: (Score:1)
Battery life is better and sound quality is better than Airpods.
That's nice I guess, but I value the ease of switching between transparency and noice cancellation easily.
Although I'm not really an audiophile I am dubious the sound quality of those is really better.
Re: I just bought a set of TaoTronics headphones (Score:2)
Not surprising. (Score:5, Insightful)
Apple now basically controls 100% of their supply chain. They are so obscenely rich on cash, they can do projects and tech-spikes others simply can not do. Example:They were seasons ahead with an entirely resolution independent UI and rendering stack and could sport ultra-high-res displays without breaking a sweat.
And now they've got their own CPUs.
No other vendor has ever had this sort of control, from raw components right up to the end customer in Apples own luxury retail stores.
They've got the best power management and now with their own silicon upping high-load battery time by roughly 2x is a walk in the park for them. They have their own OS, so they can make it fly on their RISC cpu and justify an additional price-hike on top of the already hefty premium of post-Jobs times.
Then can decide to do convergence tomorrow and everybody else can only just sit and watch, gaping with a dropped jaw.
This all is so far out ahead of everybody else that even I, who just a few years back decided to decommission Apple in my personal computing after 13 years of satisfaction, am eyeing they stuff again. And all this despite their increase in pricing once again and the additional epic increase in margin they're now realising with their own cpus.
That Apple can just about shrug off such a thing as the CoViD Crisis is of no real surprise to me.
Say what you will about Apple, but they do run a tight ship for a global corp, there is no two ways about that.
Re: Not surprising. (Score:3)
Bizzare (Score:2)
Apple literally make nothing of any interest to me, and they don't even make many different things - the phone, a handful of computers, and an obscure TV thing. What the hell is generating all this money?
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Almost half of their revenue from products is the iPhone. You are not their market, but that does not mean rest of the world as Apple by phone shipments is second to Samsung.
Sure, but there's nothing special about the iphone. To generate $60bn in sales of something that's not particularly noteworthy is amazing to me. And, as you say, they don't even have dominance of the market - Samsung alone sells more and they're only one Android seller.
Re: (Score:2)
To generate $60bn in sales of something that's not particularly noteworthy is amazing to me.
And I know many people who would never buy a Samsung due to their bloatware. They do not find Samsung "particularly noteworthy."
And, as you say, they don't even have dominance of the market - Samsung alone sells more and they're only one Android seller.
Samsung makes more models especially in the budget areas. It is common sense that if they sell more phones that are cheaper, Samsung will not make as much money as Apple.
Re: (Score:2)
more more more (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
are those what the missing socks from the dryer become?
Things that make you go hmm (Score:1)
It's a bit odd how many companies are suddenly reporting record revenues and profits, yet they complain they can't afford to pay more for workers and can't attract workers at the wages they're offering.
Funny that.
Re: (Score:3)
I don't hear any big companies complaining that they can't afford to pay people more. It's the small shops that can't afford it.