Apple’s earnings are coming! Apple’s earnings are coming! Here’s what’s being mentioned all over the place as key.
The much-anticipated iPhone 6 is even more anticipated. Among the intriguing bits — besides that the phone may have a bigger screen — is that the company ordered 70 million to 80 million units of the devices, according to the Wall Street Journal. Previously, the company ordered 50 million to 60 million iPhone 5S and 5C units.
But when is the iPhone 6 coming out? The WSJ says Apple has given manufacturers a Dec. 30 deadline. When Apple today gives its revenue forecast for the fourth quarter, enthusiasts and observers — and those who have been holding out for the 6 — will have more information to go on. If Apple forecasts sales below $39 billion, that would suggest a later, post-October launch, according to Quartz. A revenue forecast of $41 billion or above might mean a launch in September.
Meanwhile, what else might Apple have up its sleeve? The company today was granted a patent it applied for three years ago, according to CNet. The patent is for a “wrist-worn electronic device.”
For the third quarter that Apple is reporting on today after the markets close, analysts on average expect profit of $1.26 per share (up 18 percent year over year) on revenue of $38.31 billion (up 8.5 percent), according to Fortune.
Since Apple last reported earnings in April, its shares have risen about 25 percent despite continuing concerns about growth. The shares are up slightly today, less than 0.5 percent, to $94.32 as of this post. MarketWatch points out that Apple shares have historically done quite well between the third- and fourth-quarter earnings reports. In the past five years, shares have risen an average 18 percent between July and October.
Photo from Reuters archives
