Over the past quarter, Apple has not managed to meet expectations, for the first time in a long time. The stagnant iPhone sales are mostly to blame, as it failed to grow as fast as expected.
iPhone does not hit 75 million milestone
Apple sold 74.8 million iPhones in the past quarter, a slight rise compared to last year when it sold 74.5 million iPhones. However, analysts had expected the company to hit the 75 million milestone.
That small growth is the weakest since the iPhone launched in 2007 and analysts now even feel the current quarter sales will drop, which would be a first for the iPhone.
Record numbers, but still setbacks
Despite the weaker iPhone sales, Apple is still able to present incredibly good results: it managed a record 75.8 billion dollar (69.7 billion euro) turnover in the past quarter, with a record 18.3 billion dollar (16.8 billion euro) net profit as a result. Turnover was lower than forecast though, as analysts believed the company would manage a 76.6 billion dollar turnover.
Expectations for its current quarter are not as positive, with Apple even expecting a turnover drop for the first time since 2003. Turnover should reach 50 – 53 billion dollars (46 – 49 billion euro), significantly lower than a year ago when turnover reached 58 billion dollars (53 billion euro).
Apple blames lower Chinese demand for the disappointing sales numbers, while the competition with other brands (like Samsung) is increasingly harsher.
