Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Mobile
  3. News

Apple beats revenue forecast in first quarter, but iPhone sales took a hit

By

iPhone X - How to use AirDrop
Julian Chokkattu / Digital Trends
Despite reports that Apple hadn’t sold as many iPhone X units as it may have hoped, the iPhone and iPad maker has beaten its revenue forecast for the fiscal first quarter of 2018. The company raked in a massive $88.4 billion in revenue, topping the forecast of between $84 billion and $87 billion.

Apple’s fiscal first quarter of 2018 includes the last three months of the 2017 calendar year.

Recommended Videos

According to the report from Apple, it sold 77.3 million iPhones, 13.2 iPads, and 5.1 million Macs, which drove an increase in revenue compared to the same quarter the previous year, when it earned $78.4 billion.

Related

Perhaps even more important is the fact that Apple has reported an active install base of 1.3 billion devices. In other words, there are 1.3 billion Apple devices that are regularly used by customers. That, of course, doesn’t mean that 1.3 billion people use Apple devices — many Apple users own multiple devices. Some even probably own an iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV.

Reports of lackluster iPhone sales have some weight — though lackluster is hardly a word many would use to describe 77.3 million units sold. The company reported iPhone sales of 78.3 million units in Q1 2017, so while Q1 2018 was better for overall revenue, the fact is that the company sold fewer iPhones during the most recent quarter. It will be interesting to see how the company responds. Reports indicate that the company could launch as many as three phones with iPhone X-type designs in 2018.

This year could also be interesting for the company as it’s gearing up to launch the HomePod, its Siri-powered smart speaker. It’s also rumored to be prepping a new Mac Pro, though it’s unlikely the Mac Pro will have a huge impact on its overall revenue.

Still, despite the slip in iPhone unit sales, Apple says that Q1 2018 was its biggest quarter ever — and that’s no small feat. Not only that, but the iPhone is still provides Apple’s biggest revenue stream by far.

“We’re thrilled to report the biggest quarter in Apple’s history, with broad-based growth that included the highest revenue ever from a new iPhone lineup,” said Apple CEO Tim Cook in a statement.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Christian de Looper
Christian de Looper
Contributor
Christian’s interest in technology began as a child in Australia, when he stumbled upon a computer at a garage sale that he…
This is the iPhone concept of my dreams
iPhone concept mimicking iPad Pro desgn.

It’s an odd day to be talking about iPhone design. Yesterday, Apple delivered what can be called the pinnacle of tablet aesthetics with the 2024 iPad Pro, which is even slimmer than the iPod Nano. Today, Bloomberg reports that Duncan Kerr -- a design executive from the legendary Jony Ive group and was a key figure behind the iPhone, iPad, and Mac products since 1999 -- is leaving the company.

It’s a great loss for Apple and disheartening news for iPhone enthusiasts. Apple almost seems obsessed with the design language it introduced with the iPhone 11 series. And if recent leaks are any indication, we are going back to the iPhone X days with the non-Pro iPhone 16 models later this year.

Read more
A big iPhone update is right around the corner
An iPhone 15 Pro Max sitting upright, showing one of its home screens.

With announcements for 2024 models of the iPad Air and iPad Pro, today's been a busy day of Apple news. But the iPad isn't the only Apple product in the news today. Following the big announcements from its event earlier this morning, Apple also shared some important news regarding the next iPhone update.

As of Tuesday, May 7, Apple has begun rolling out RC builds for iOS 17.5. RC stands for "Release Candidate," and it's the last beta version of a software update that Apple releases before its final public rollout. In other news, the official iOS 17.5 update should be right around the corner.

Read more
I found an amazing new way to use my iPhone 15 Pro Max
The back of a Natural Titanium iPhone 15 Pro Max.

When Apple announced the iPhone 15 Pro series last September, there was one feature I was more excited about than anything else: the Action button. Gone was the useless ring/silent slider. In its place was a button we could customize to our exact liking.

I've been using the Action button on my iPhone 15 Pro Max ever since I got it, and for the last few months, it's been programmed to open the camera app. It's convenient, but it's also nothing particularly exciting. Recently, though, I found a new and unexpected way to use my iPhone's Action button — and it's kind of blowing my mind.
Supercharging the Action button

Read more