Based on Apple's most recent financial report, it appears that the innovative gadget maker started the fiscal year on the right foot.
The Verge reported that the Steve Jobs-founded company has sold a record 51 million iPhones (vs. 47.8 million last year) and 26 million iPads worldwide in Quarter 1 of the year, which stretches from October to December. "Those figures are staggeringly high for a company with a relatively small product range," the news site also noted.
Although there wasn't a breakdown on the exact number of iPhone or iPad per model sold, clues can be gleaned from the average selling price (ASP) of the product range. The Verge observed that Apple's ASP has gone down through the years. However, this year's figures have risen for the first time in quite a while, which could imply that more bought the flagship iPhone 5S over the more economical iPhone 5C.
However, according to CNN, despite the record-breaking sales for Q1, the company's stock did not fare well. That's because Wall Street analysts "were expecting closer to 57 million iPhones, after Apple launched its new iPhone 5S and 5C smartphones in China simultaneously with the United States and Western Europe for the first time this fall." As a result of this unmet expectation, Apple's stock plummeted.
In a conference call, Apple chief Tim Cook reportedly blamed the weak sales in the U.S. on "cell phone companies' longer upgrade cycles." Not only that, he said that iPhone 5S demand was "stronger than expected," which delayed Apple's production to meet the unexpected volume of orders.
The company's CEO was not very forthright about future products, although he confirmed that they're working on "new product categories" for the end of this year. Could this project involve wearable technology?
For the next quarter, Apple predicted that revenues will be relatively "flat," which again disappointed analysts. One wonders: how will Apple keep itself from going on a slow, downward spiral and stay on top of their game? Could an iPhone 6 meet analyst expectations?
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