No one will ever know for sure. Either way expecting qood quarterly results for Apple.
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Analysts Have No Idea How Many Macs Apple Shipped Last Quarter
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Because we will never have the exact numbers.
The bigger question at hand is why do we even care about these numbers.
As a (very modest) Apple investor, I want to know if they’re making money, and how they did compared with same quarter last year. Anything else is getting lost in the weeds. YMMV.
We need the truth or else Apple may be committed fraud like Enron.
What even is some of you guys’ argument? “They could be lying about cash on hand, but they obviously couldn’t lie about units sold”? If they’re cooking the books, as you suggest, why only cook some of the books?
Apple needs to give me more information!
—Apple gives more information—
This information doesn’t back up what I think about Apple soooo, all they’ve done is given me false information.
The issue is that sales data for this company under such scrutiny and under threat of espionage pretty much would give away lots of proprietary information to their competitors.
If the IDC report is true, it's a giangantic win for Apple Silicon.
Good grief, please do some research. Back when Apple gave sales numbers Apple sold 220M iPhone 6/6+ units 2014-2016, 74.5M of them in Dec. 2014 quarter, FYQ1 2015. Price was $649-849. This was the first “large” iPhones and tapped into pent up demand for large iPhones. Analysts became enamored with unit sales numbers and constantly speculated on whether Apple could/would out do itself or not. Because of the huge success of the iPhone 6, the 6S/6S+ sold well but not as well as the 6 - this was “a disappointment” to analysts and Apple got a lot of grief for that.
2016 saw iPhone 7 starting at $649 introduced with no headphone Jack, AirPods @$159 introduced and started a new product trend. The Apple Watch and Apple Pay were already 2 years old and Services (via App Store, Search payments from Google, AppleCare, Apple Pay and beginnings of subscriptions) showed rapid growth. Still, most analysts were “iPhone counters” and still tied Apple’s future to solely iPhone unit sales.
2017 saw the iPhone 8, X at a new higher price tiers of $999, and the Watch 3, plus continued iPad, Wearables, and Services growth. Even with less than super high sales numbers, the higher average sales prices of X models pushed total iPhone revenue ever higher. Still, Apple kept being punished by analysts who said sales were lower, “smartphone saturation” was fast approaching, and Apple couldn’t raise prices high enough to compensate. And who cares about Services and total revenue. Apple is doomed! (TM).
So despite Cook telling everyone supply chain and channel checks are very in exact measures, analysts kept touting unit sales numbers (Android also wanted to perpetuate their “superiority” in selling WAY more units than Apple. This despite the FACT that Apple, with only 12-14% marketshare by units sold, took 60-70% of total smartphone revenue and about 80-85% of smartphone profits by Dec. 2018. November 2018 was when Apple said they would not report unit sales at all but focus (and refocus analysts) on revenue reporting of each segment - iPhones, iPads, Macs, Wearables+accessories+Home, and Services. Because of Trump’s ill-advised China tariff wars, China iPhone XS/XS sales tanked (nationalistic buying of Huawei, Xiaomi, etc.) and Apple reported a revenue shortfall in Jan. 2019. AAPL fell almost 35% from Sept. 2018 high and only recovered by Sept. 2019 iPhone 11/11 Pro/Pro Max intros that became big hits.
2016 saw iPhone 7 starting at $649 introduced with no headphone Jack, AirPods @$159 introduced and started a new product trend. The Apple Watch and Apple Pay were already 2 years old and Services (via App Store, Search payments from Google, AppleCare, Apple Pay and beginnings of subscriptions) showed rapid growth. Still, most analysts were “iPhone counters” and still tied Apple’s future to solely iPhone unit sales.
2017 saw the iPhone 8, X at a new higher price tiers of $999, and the Watch 3, plus continued iPad, Wearables, and Services growth. Even with less than super high sales numbers, the higher average sales prices of X models pushed total iPhone revenue ever higher. Still, Apple kept being punished by analysts who said sales were lower, “smartphone saturation” was fast approaching, and Apple couldn’t raise prices high enough to compensate. And who cares about Services and total revenue. Apple is doomed! (TM).
So despite Cook telling everyone supply chain and channel checks are very in exact measures, analysts kept touting unit sales numbers (Android also wanted to perpetuate their “superiority” in selling WAY more units than Apple. This despite the FACT that Apple, with only 12-14% marketshare by units sold, took 60-70% of total smartphone revenue and about 80-85% of smartphone profits by Dec. 2018. November 2018 was when Apple said they would not report unit sales at all but focus (and refocus analysts) on revenue reporting of each segment - iPhones, iPads, Macs, Wearables+accessories+Home, and Services. Because of Trump’s ill-advised China tariff wars, China iPhone XS/XS sales tanked (nationalistic buying of Huawei, Xiaomi, etc.) and Apple reported a revenue shortfall in Jan. 2019. AAPL fell almost 35% from Sept. 2018 high and only recovered by Sept. 2019 iPhone 11/11 Pro/Pro Max intros that became big hits.
If you search for Apple iPhone quarterly revenue and Apple overall gross revenue by quarter charts, you’ll find that Apple services kept growing, Wearables growing, iPhone revenue growing - even though unit sales weren’t as high a peak 2014-2015, because Apple successfully established the Ultra Premium >$999 price tier and ASP’s rose from high $600-low $700 to over $800/unit, translating into growing and diversified revenue and profits. Cook stated Services would double from 2016’s $24.3B by 2020. Nobody believed him, all analysts wanted to say Apple is “just” a hardware company, still counting iPhone widgets. Well, Apple Services doubled by Q2 2020 and end of FY 2021 had hit $68.4B, 2.8x. End of June 2022, 3 quarters in, Services was $58.9B (almost 20% of gross revenue), and if continues growth, will add $20+B this Sept. quarter, giving FY2022 Services total of $79-80B, fully 3.22X in just 6 years! Considering Services gross margin is 71-72% and Products (hardware) is 35-37%, Apple isn’t just an iPhone company, revenue comes from many business segments.
That’s the reason Apple stopped unit sales data - when you can successfully sell higher priced Premium products like Macs, iPad Pro, Watch, and premium iPhone flagships, average sales prices rise and revenue grows. Understand despite Apple having 17-22% smartphone market by unit sales now, ASP rose to $825 over last 3 quarters on success of iPhone 13 series. The huge demand for iPhone 14 Pro & Pro Max may push iPhone ASP this and next quarter to or over $900. Samsung’s ASP is under $325 even counting Foldables. Mac ASP is $1300-1400, PC ASP’s under $650. That’s why Apple Revenue and profits are higher than the rest of its industry segment competitors.
Last bit - Samsung set a goal of 15M Foldables sold in 2022 (wanting to beat Note’ series beat of 12M), but macroeconomic conditions have deteriorated and likely they will fall short, way short, to maybe 10-11M tops. Better than 2021’s 7.1-8M though. They also wanted change from 70:30 Flip:Fold sales to more like 5:4, but that doesn’t look like either due to price difference ($999 vs $1800). IMO, Foldables sales after just 2 months available must be pretty bad because Samsung is now offering through retail partners and promotions up to $420 direct discounts and heavy trade-ins up to $800-1000 off, thereby undercutting any initial pricing power. IMO, Samsung S22 Ultra sales were good at intro but have fallen off and Samsung will be lucky to sell 30-35M total Galaxy S units in 2022. In fact, Samsung just announced a slight increase in revenue but a 32% drop in profits, mostly due to Semi chips price and demand drops, but I believe Samsung Mobile, having suffered a 6% drop in unit sales, will also have a slight revenue increase from August Foldables intro but big dip in profits.
That’s the reason Apple stopped unit sales data - when you can successfully sell higher priced Premium products like Macs, iPad Pro, Watch, and premium iPhone flagships, average sales prices rise and revenue grows. Understand despite Apple having 17-22% smartphone market by unit sales now, ASP rose to $825 over last 3 quarters on success of iPhone 13 series. The huge demand for iPhone 14 Pro & Pro Max may push iPhone ASP this and next quarter to or over $900. Samsung’s ASP is under $325 even counting Foldables. Mac ASP is $1300-1400, PC ASP’s under $650. That’s why Apple Revenue and profits are higher than the rest of its industry segment competitors.
Last bit - Samsung set a goal of 15M Foldables sold in 2022 (wanting to beat Note’ series beat of 12M), but macroeconomic conditions have deteriorated and likely they will fall short, way short, to maybe 10-11M tops. Better than 2021’s 7.1-8M though. They also wanted change from 70:30 Flip:Fold sales to more like 5:4, but that doesn’t look like either due to price difference ($999 vs $1800). IMO, Foldables sales after just 2 months available must be pretty bad because Samsung is now offering through retail partners and promotions up to $420 direct discounts and heavy trade-ins up to $800-1000 off, thereby undercutting any initial pricing power. IMO, Samsung S22 Ultra sales were good at intro but have fallen off and Samsung will be lucky to sell 30-35M total Galaxy S units in 2022. In fact, Samsung just announced a slight increase in revenue but a 32% drop in profits, mostly due to Semi chips price and demand drops, but I believe Samsung Mobile, having suffered a 6% drop in unit sales, will also have a slight revenue increase from August Foldables intro but big dip in profits.
Right now the most important information is: how well the transition to Apple Silicon is going and that is measured in bugs not units.
If you could take 2 minutes to google this topic, you'd have plenty of answers.
I suspect you just don't want to hear them because they might contradict your narrative, but by all means, prove me wrong.
You are missing the point, it served their interests to break out the Iphone numbers for about 11 years, that did not happen by accident. A narrative, since when did I become a media luminary or politician, I'm genuinely curious why a company would produce the numbers for so long and then decide to reverse the practice.
Really? Enron was run by unscrupulous crooks who gamed an unregulated energy and power grid (thanks to deregulation efforts by corporation friendly politicians, see Savings and Loan Debacle, see also Mortgage meltdown 2007-8 recession) system and basically raped California energy companies and consumers, then tried to hide it from investigators till it all came crashing down - taking with it the pensions and investments of all their employees except the upper management who still held millions but some ultimately went to prison or died.
Apple operates and has operated in a completely different industry with many many analysts and regulators following its every move, report, lawsuit, success, and failure. Apple has not been shy about reporting lower results when they happened and even, in Jan 2019, issues an warning warning when earnings fell materially short. Not good for the stock but transparent as required by SEC and reporting requirements.
maybe if Apple were run by Musk, Zuckerberg, Holmes, or other CEO, management, and Board where oversight might be lax, business craters, or out and out fraud was happening, but Cook, Maestri, Williams, etc. all were hired by Jobs to run Apple effectively, legally, and in compliance with US and SEC corporate reporting requirements. Some of the most stringent in the world. Why would Apple and Cook risk its reputation and standing for a short term boost by cooking numbers? That would be corporate suicide.
Apple has weathered slowdowns, market changes, poor product performance and always came back. Apple and Cook have a solid business plan, strong engineering and production skills and execution, superior marketing, sales and support (who in tech has over 520 physical stores in 28 countries and 6 continents, all of which sell more per square foot than most of not all retail stores save maybe for jewelry stores?), and have the results to prove it.
Do you realize Apple creates enough cash flow to provide >$3B in dividends and buy back $20+B in AAPL share EACH quarter and still not drain much of its cash? That Apple can borrow money at favorable low rates because of its large cash and market cap situation? Apple can fund $17-now 22B in R&D annually and be derided for not spending enough percentage wise?
Apple made gross revenue of $260B in FY2019, $274B in pandemic 2020, an astounding $365.8B in pandemic year 2 2021, and is on track to make ~$390B in reopening but inflationary 2022. Net income grew from $55B 2019 to $57.4B 2020 (pandemic) to ~$95B 2021. 2022 so far has $79B with maybe $20-23B coming this quarter so net income may be $99-102B, still darn good considering the macroeconomic headwinds of this year.
All of this reporting is scrutinized by analysts, Apple auditors, and regulators, plus of course competitors and businesses. Many claim Apple
is making too much money but they never dispute that Apple IS making that much. Not worth the risks or reputation to report anything except the financial facts and truths as they come in. Apple is NOT required to report unit sales (Samsung doesn’t either except when it suits them to say “XX sold more in first days or weeks” but never to be heard from again, uncanny isn’t it?) and since unit sale takes the focus off of total revenue and diversified revenue streams, Apple just doesn’t do that anymore. Analysts have adjusted somewhat, investors did the same.
Tim Apple needs to grow some thicker skin.
Sorry, Tim has plenty of thick skin as CEO of largest market cap
Company in the world, 6th largest y revenue, 2nd largest by earnings, most successful tech company. Cook just felt the financial analysts were too focused on counting iPhones instead of appreciating what Apple had done with other revenue streams. So he and Board decided to stop unit sales reporting. Too bad for analysts who wailed and complained. Tough, adapt and do your jobs.
Many competitors had stopped doing it before Apple, so if there's no regulation mandating it, and no market expectation any more either, why keep doing it? Telling people sales numbers also tells the competition sales numbers. Apple would rather not.
Yeah, but it doesn't seem very plausible to me.
The Mac went up significantly in 2020 due to the pandemic (lots of people needed a laptop for WFH) and Apple Silicon (this is a bit more suspect, but the numbers bear it out):
But that wouldn't explain why the Mac would go up 40.2% YOY, especially when the market as a whole is down 15%. That would mean Apple outperformed everyone else by 64.9%!
I'm sure the M2 MacBook Air is a big success, but this seems implausibly high.
It's plausible if Apple fixed the supply chain for Macs in Q3 which allowed it to satisfy pent-up demand.
Apple beats on revenue and profit, expects growth to accelerate despite 'pockets of softness'
Apple reported earnings on Thursday for its fiscal third quarter ending in June.