Apple set another all-time quarterly record on the back of strong iPhone sales. Apple disclosed on the 29th (local time) that fourth-quarter revenue (Oct.–Dec. last year, 2026 fiscal year first quarter) rose 16% from a year earlier to $143.76 billion (about 206 trillion won).
This surpasses the prior quarter's July–September 2023 revenue of $102.5 billion and also beats the market estimate of $138.48 billion. In particular, iPhone revenue reached $85.269 billion, soaring 23.3% year over year to a record high. This result significantly exceeded the market forecast of $78.65 billion.
iPad and Mac revenue came in at $8.595 billion and $8.386 billion, respectively, while Apple Watch and home and accessories revenue was $11.49 billion, showing somewhat weak performance. Services such as Apple Music and Apple TV recorded $30.13 billion, up 13.9% from a year earlier, but fell short of market expectations.
Earnings per share (EPS) were $2.84, up 19% from a year earlier and reaching a record high. The operating margin was also 48.2%. CEO Tim Cook said, "We are proud to report an amazing performance that exceeded expectations, achieving our highest-ever quarterly results."
Cook emphasized that the iPhone posted record results in every region on unprecedented demand, and said active Apple devices increased from 2 billion to 2.5 billion. In addition, market research firm Omdia announced that Apple shipped 240.6 million smartphones worldwide in 2023, taking the No. 1 spot ahead of Samsung Electronics.
Apple's stock price jumped more than 3% immediately after the earnings release, but later gave back part of the gains and is trading around $260. Meanwhile, Apple reportedly acquired Israeli audio AI startup "Q.ai" for $2 billion. It is the company's second-largest acquisition since the Beats deal in 2014.