Apple profits static on "disappointing" iPhone sales



Apple has released quarterly figures that back speculation the world's richest company may be heading downhill. 

iPhone sales, while still huge, are not as huge as expected and sales of Mac computers are down 22% although iPad sales are up 48%. 

Here are two takes on the story...from the BBC and Reuters:


BBC: Computing giant Apple has reported unchanged profits and record revenues in the final three months of last year.
Net profit came in at $13.1bn (£8.7bn), while revenue was up 18% at $54.5bn, thanks to record sales of iPhones and iPads, the company said.
But Apple shares fell in after-hours trade, as sales missed expectations.
Shares in the firm have fallen almost 30% since September over concerns the company may be losing its edge over increasingly confident competitors.
Apple said it sold 47.8 million iPhones in the quarter, up from 37 million a year earlier, and 22.9 million iPads, compared with 15.4 million in the same period in 2011.
"We're thrilled with record revenue of over $54 billion and sales of over 75 million iOS devices in a single quarter," said Tim Cook, Apple's chief executive.
"We're very confident in our product pipeline as we continue to focus on innovation and making the best products in the world."

Reuters: Apple Inc reported quarterly revenue that slightly missed Wall Street expectations as sales of its flagship iPhone came in below target, sending its shares down more than 4 percent.
The world's largest technology company shipped 47.8 million iPhones, lower than the roughly 50 million that Wall Street analysts had predicted. Sales of the iPad came in at 22.9 million in the fiscal first quarter, about in line with forecasts.
Sources this month have pointed to production cutbacks at Apple's component suppliers as a sign that demand may be waning for the iPhone, which accounts for half of the company's sales, and the iPad.
The disappointing numbers come after Apple undershot revenue targets in the previous two quarters. The results will prompt more questions on what Apple has in its product pipeline, and what it can do to attract new sales and maintain its growth trajectory.
Apple said on Wednesday its fiscal first quarter revenue rose to $54.5 billion, below the average analyst estimate of $54.73 billion, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.
For the fiscal first quarter it posted net income of $13.07 billion, or $13.81 a diluted share, compared to $13.06 billion, or $13.87 a share, a year earlier.



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