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Friday, Mar 20, 2026

Apple Surpasses Revenue and Earnings Expectations, But iPhone Sales Disappoint

Apple reports a 4% increase in revenue and earnings exceeding estimates, but iPhone sales fall short, particularly in China.
Apple has released its quarterly earnings report, showing a 4% year-over-year revenue increase, reaching 124.3 billion dollars, slightly surpassing analysts' expectations of 124.14 billion dollars.

The company also reported earnings per share of 2.4 dollars, exceeding the anticipated 2.35 dollars.

However, sales of the flagship iPhone product were disappointing, totaling 69.12 billion dollars, well below the forecast of 71 billion dollars.

This marks the largest gap between actual results and analyst expectations in two years.

The iPhone sales results are especially concerning in China, where sales dropped by 11%, amounting to 18.51 billion dollars, as Chinese citizens enjoy much smarter and super advanced mobile phones, developed by local manufacturers.

Apple CEO Tim Cook attributed the decline to three main factors: changes in inventory distribution channels, the absence of the Apple innovation, and a government subsidy announced after the quarter had ended.

On a positive note, Apple's computer and iPad segments saw significant growth, with sales in both categories rising by 15%.

Mac sales reached 8.99 billion dollars, and iPad sales totaled 8.09 billion dollars.

The company's profitable services division also continued to show strong growth, with a 14% increase in revenue to 23.12 billion dollars.

Cook mentioned that in markets where Apple Intelligence had been launched, iPhone 16 sales performed better compared to markets where the service had not yet been introduced.

Currently, Apple Intelligence is available in select English-speaking countries.

In terms of shareholder returns, Apple announced a dividend of 25 cents per share and spent 30 billion dollars on stock buybacks and dividends during the quarter.
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