Apple slightly beat analysts' expectations in its first-quarter earnings for fiscal year 2025 on Thursday. The iPhone-maker's revenue rose by 4%, coming in at 124.30bn, barely above estimates of 124.12bn. Earnings per share were 2.40, just ahead of analysts' expectations of 2.35. Shares rose more than 8% in extended trading after Apple's CEO, Tim Cook, indicated in an earnings call on Thursday that the company was on the trajectory for revenue growth next quarter. Investors have been concerned about decreasing iPhone sales in China, the world's biggest smartphone market, as domestic rivals like Huawei have grown.

Apple Intelligence is here, and I look forward to everyone sharing the bonkers/pointless #AI summaries it now puts on your lock screen. "Pugsley is little fester" is one of my faves. On @washingtonpost, I also have "Harris to endorse Harris."

Apple's just-announced iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro will likely go down in the books as the "AI" iPhone, the one that's supposed to power all kinds of new generative artificially intelligent features, and in a very Apple-y way. But some analysts are predicting that these new phones will catalyze an even more important phenomenon for Apple's future: The start of an iPhone "supercycle." A "supercycle" is what it sounds like: an extended period of economic growth in a boom and bust cycle. In this instance the phrase is being applied to a specific commodity. And those who track the tech market closely believe--or want to believe--that that time has come for iPhone sales to heat up.

Apple reported better-than-expected earnings in the third quarter of 2024, with buzz about its new AI features offsetting a continuing decline in its key China market. Earnings exceeded analyst predictions despite a year-over-year decline in iPhone sales, with revenue rising 4.9% to 85.78bn in the three months ending 29 June, beating the average analyst estimate of 84.53bn. The company maintained its cash dividend at 25 cents for each share. The strong report represented a bright spot in the tech space after difficult earnings reports from other tech giants like Amazon, Snap and Intel. The market saw a sell-off on Thursday amid disappointing results, including from Intel – which announced plans to cut more than 15,000 jobs as it tries to cut billions of dollars in costs to turn its business around.

Apple's new AI strategy might also play a key role in its upgrade-your-iPhone strategy. The company used its annual developer conference today as a platform to announce Apple Intelligence, a decidedly non-generative nomenclature for a suite of new AI features that, like other generative AI tools, are trained on massive datasets. Apple's approach is an additive one, relying on the influence and footprint of its existing apps rather than spinning up a new chatbot or web browser that spits out humanlike responses. Once Apple Intelligence rolls out to iPhones, Macs, and iPads later this year, it supposedly will turn sketches into images, sort through photos and videos, rewrite emails, change the tone of messages, and allow its voice assistant Siri to tap into different apps to string together smarter responses. There's just one catch: It won't work on your old iPhone.

Apple released its earnings report on Thursday, revealing a drop in overall revenue fueled by slackening iPhone sales. Earnings exceeded market expectations, however, and Apple's shares rose in after-hours trading. Tim Cook, Apple's chief executive, said in a statement released before the call that "Apple is reporting revenue of 90.8bn for the March quarter, including an all-time revenue record in services". The iPhone maker reported revenue of 90.8bn, down 4% year-over-year, but surpassing anticipated earnings of 90.1bn. It declared 0.25 in cash dividend for each share, an increase of 4%.

Usually known for its secrecy, Apple Inc. has been relatively vocal about a key aspect of its future over the past few months. Through acquisitions, investments, research and public comments, Apple has been trying to send the message that if artificial intelligence is indeed the future, the most valuable company in the world is getting prepared. Apple AAPL, -1.08% has been much quieter, however, about what exactly it intends to do with the AI knowledge and experience it is gaining. Perhaps the most obvious outward example of its artificial-intelligence applications, the Siri voice assistant, inspires mixed feelings from users, especially those who have welcomed Amazon.com And while AI is central to Google's core ad and search businesses, Apple's main business is still making iPhones, where AI remains a small component.

Apple introduced the first iPhone in 2007, and in the 10 years since, the company has sold more than 1.2 billion of the 15 models it has developed. The iPhone accounts for nearly two-thirds of Apple's revenue; in the fiscal year ending September 30, Apple is on pace to sell more than $140 billion in iPhones, more than the total revenue of all but about a dozen US companies, according to S&P CapitalIQ. Sales and profits from the device have helped the company amass a staggering $261 billion in cash and made Apple the most valuable company in the world. Which is why the unveiling of a new iPhone heralds the most important day of Apple's year. How well those phones sell shapes Apple's fortunes over the following year and helps determine how much money it can plow into its increasingly diverse initiatives in artificial intelligence, cars, and entertainment.

See how Apple's iPhone ignited the evolution of mobile devices. Analysts are expecting a big overhaul and blockbuster sales for the next iPhone. SAN FRANCISCO -- The most significant update to the iPhone in three years promises not only to upend the smartphone market but Apple's financial results for several quarters. On the heels of the iPhone's 10th anniversary this week, and before Apple unveils its expected new models in September, analysts expect flat year-over-year iPhone sales as consumers wait for the revamped phones. After that, however, they expect record-setting sales, dwarfing the success of the wildly popular iPhone 6. Angelo Zino, a senior equity analyst at CFRA, predicts record iPhone shipments of 241.5 million in the 12 months following the iPhone 8 launch -- smashing the previous high, set by iPhone 6, following its introduction in late 2014.

Apple has a new plan to make up for flagging iPhone sales: build out the entertainment side of its business by offering original video content in Apple Music. Fans of Westworld and The OA will rejoice as yet another player enters the fray of creating high-quality, original online video. The news comes Thursday morning via The Wall Street Journal, which says Apple has been in talks with Hollywood producers to buy rights to new shows. The new video content could come as early as the end of 2017. While it appears Apple is starting small--going for just "handful of carefully selected shows," according to The Wall Street Journal--it's easy to imagine Apple expanding its original offerings if this first round is a success.