Apple is set to report slow revenue growth as weak iPhone demand, AI delays, and tough China competition weigh on sales, while a strong U.S. dollar adds further pressure.
Apple is anticipated to report modest revenue growth for its fiscal first quarter on Thursday, January 30, as adoption of artificial intelligence features and increasing competition from Chinese smartphone makers have impacted iPhone sales during the key holiday season.
Tech giants like Apple, Google, and Samsung have been leveraging AI to boost device sales. However, Apple's iPhone 16 series, launched in September, lacked AI-driven features at release, with enhancements such as an upgraded Siri expected to roll out later this year in select regions.
Apple’s AI struggles were underscored earlier this month when it was forced to withdraw an AI-powered news summarization tool due to inaccurate headlines, drawing criticism from media outlets.
Facing renewed competition from Huawei and other Chinese manufacturers, Apple’s global smartphone market share shrank to 23% in the last quarter of 2024, down from nearly 25% a year prior, according to IDC data. The decline was even more pronounced in China—Apple’s third-largest market—where its market share dropped by 10 percentage points to 17%.
Although the Chinese government has introduced subsidies to encourage smartphone purchases, these incentives primarily target low- to mid-range devices priced below $800, excluding Apple's premium iPhones, according to Barclays analysts.
Concerns over weakening iPhone demand have weighed on Apple’s stock, which has declined by 5% in January. Analysts project the company will report revenue growth of 3.8% for the quarter ending in December, based on LSEG data—significantly lower than the 6.1% growth recorded in the previous quarter, which only briefly included sales of the new iPhone model.
iPhone sales are expected to grow by 1.9% in the first quarter, a slowdown from the 5.5% rise in the preceding quarter. Mac sales are forecast to increase by 2.3%, slightly outpacing the prior quarter, while iPad revenue is projected to climb 4.2%, though at a slower rate than in the fourth quarter.
Apple’s services division, which has been a key driver of revenue growth in recent years, is expected to see a 12.9% increase in sales.
Like other multinational companies, Apple is also facing the effects of a stronger U.S. dollar. The dollar appreciated nearly 8% in the final quarter of 2024 amid expectations of trade tariffs under President Donald Trump’s administration.
Hundreds of people gathered for a second consecutive week at Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square, on Friday (12 December), to support the family of Master Sg...
Britain’s King Charles III said on Friday, 12 December, that his cancer treatment is expected to be reduced in the coming year, using a televised ad...
Talks aimed at ending the war between Ukraine and Russia are set to continue in Berlin this weekend, with U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff due to meet Ukraini...
Türkiye’s Trade Minister Omer Bolat said Friday that discussions in Washington with U.S. officials have strengthened efforts to expand bilateral tr...
Lebanon is prepared to demarcate its border with Syria, President Joseph Aoun said on Friday, while noting that the dispute over the Shebaa Farms coul...
The digital isolation of Russian citizens deepened on Thursday as authorities severed access to one of the last remaining secure Western communication channels, effectively forcing millions of iPhone users onto state-monitored domestic alternatives.
Google has announced a major update for its Pixel 10 series: owners can now send and receive files with Apple devices using AirDrop, without any collaboration from Apple. The new functionality applies to iPhones, iPads, and macOS devices, though for now it is limited to the Pixel 10 line.
A federal jury in California ruled on Friday that Apple must pay $634 million to Masimo, a medical-monitoring technology company, for infringing a patent related to blood-oxygen reading technology.
Apple’s latest smartphone, the iPhone Air, sold out within minutes of its launch in China on Friday, highlighting the brand’s enduring appeal among Chinese consumers despite growing competition from local Android makers.
Japan has lifted a tsunami advisory issued after an earthquake with a magnitude of 6.9 hit the country's northeastern region on Friday (12 December), the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said. The JMA had earlier put the earthquake's preliminary magnitude at 6.7.
Iran is preparing to host a multilateral regional meeting next week in a bid to mediate between Afghanistan and Pakistan.
The United States issued new sanctions targeting Venezuela on Thursday, imposing curbs on three nephews of President Nicolas Maduro's wife, as well as six crude oil tankers and shipping companies linked to them, as Washington ramps up pressure on Caracas.
The resignation of Bulgaria's government on Thursday (11 December) puts an end to an increasingly unpopular coalition but is likely to usher in a period of prolonged political instability on the eve of the Black Sea nation's entry into the euro zone.
An extratropical cyclone has caused widespread disruption across Brazil’s São Paulo state, with powerful winds toppling trees and power lines, blocking streets and leaving large parts of the region without electricity.
The U.S. Federal Reserve’s Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) cut its benchmark interest rate by 25 basis points to a range of 3.50% to 3.75% following its two-day policy meeting, according to an official statement issued on Wednesday, 10 December.
China has carried out a major test of a new “super wireless” rail convoy, a technology that could reshape the future of heavy-haul transport.
Paramount Skydance (PSKY.O) has launched a $108.4 billion hostile takeover bid for Warner Bros Discovery (WBD.O). The escalation follows a high-stakes battle that had appeared to end last week when Netflix secured a $72 billion deal for the studio giant’s assets.
U.S. industrial production rose by 0.1% in September, rebounding after a decline in August, while capacity utilisation remained unchanged, according to Federal Reserve data on Wednesday.
Google’s YouTube has announced a “disappointing update” for millions of Australian users and creators, confirming it will comply with the country’s world-first ban on social media access for under-16s by locking affected users out of their accounts within days.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment