
<p id="h-topline"><strong>TOPLINE</strong> Apple reported a profit of $23.6 billion in its second quarter, up twofold from a year ago, on record sales of $89.6 billion, blowing past analysts’ expectations as iPhone sales remained strong after a record end to 2020.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">KEY FACTS</h3>



<ul><li>Apple’s sales were up 53.7% jump from the same quarter last year, exceeding the $77.4 billion <a href="https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/AAPL/analysis?p=AAPL" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">expected by analysts</a>.</li></ul>



<ul><li>Net earnings were $1.40 per share, also well ahead of the consensus analyst expectation of 99 cents per share.</li></ul>



<ul><li>iPhone sales totaled $47.9 billion, accounting for 53% of Apple’s total revenue, far surpassing the $29 billion reported in the first quarter of 2020 and the $41.7 billion predicted by Wall Street analysts.</li></ul>



<ul><li>Revenue from services like iTunes and the App Store grew 27% to $16.9 billion, and sales of Mac computers, iPads and accessories like AirPods and watches also increased from last year.</li></ul>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-crucial-quote">CRUCIAL QUOTE</h3>



<p>“Success was broadly distributed across our product categories,” Apple CEO Tim Cook said in a Wednesday evening conference call.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-background">KEY BACKGROUND</h3>



<p>In the final three months of last year, Apple logged the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/johnkoetsier/2021/01/27/apples-biggest-quarter-ever-all-the-insane-numbers/">best quarter</a>&nbsp;in its 45-year history, topping $100 billion in total sales and growing revenue for&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2021/01/27/apple-aapl-earnings-q1-2021.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">virtually every product line</a>. Over&nbsp;<a href="https://www.apple.com/newsroom/pdfs/q4fy15datasum.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">the last</a>&nbsp;<a href="https://www.apple.com/newsroom/pdfs/Q1FY17DataSummary.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">decade</a>, iPhones have served as the Cupertino, Calif.-based company’s largest driver of revenue. Some&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/timbajarin/2020/11/01/will-5g-kick-off-a-smartphone-upgrade-supercycle/?sh=9fcbe876fd2b">observers</a>&nbsp;expected iPhone sales to remain fairly strong at the start of this year, as consumers continue&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/apple-aapl-2q-earnings-report-2021-11619572929" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">upgrading to pricier</a>&nbsp;5G-enabled smartphones. But the company has also&nbsp;<a href="https://www.apple.com/newsroom/pdfs/Q1FY17DataSummary.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">rapidly</a>&nbsp;<a href="https://www.apple.com/newsroom/pdfs/FY21%20Q1%20Consolidated%20Financial%20Statements.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">increased</a>&nbsp;the share of its revenue from online services, and sales have grown for accessories like watches and AirPods.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tangent">TANGENT</h3>



<p>It’s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/chuckjones/2021/04/28/the-two-most-important-numbers-in-apples-earnings-announcement/?sh=6df247e93b49">not unusual</a>&nbsp;for Apple’s revenue to drop significantly from the end of one year to the beginning of the next, as holiday shopping brings&nbsp;<a href="https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2021/01/apple-reports-first-quarter-results/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">consumers into stores</a>&nbsp;and drives&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2021/01/06/apple-app-store-customers-spent-record-540-million-on-new-years-day.html#:~:text=On%20top%20of%20that%2C%20Apple,for%20its%20Apple%20Books%20app." target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">digital sales</a>.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-further-reading">FURTHER READING</h3>



<p><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/chuckjones/2021/04/28/the-two-most-important-numbers-in-apples-earnings-announcement/?sh=6df247e93b49">The Two Most Important Numbers In Apple’s Earnings Announcement (Forbes)</a></p>



<p><em><strong>By Joe Walsh, Forbes Staff</strong></em></p>


Tag: Apple Shares

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Apple Profit Doubles On Record Revenue In Second Quarter As iPhone Sales Beat Expectations