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Tag: Q1

  • Apple announces Q2 2021 earnings call for Wednesday, April 28th

    Apple announces Q2 2021 earnings call for Wednesday, April 28th

    Apple has announced that the company will release its quarterly earnings call for the second fiscal quarter of 2021. The earnings call will be held on April 28, and is expected to take place at 2:00 PM PT (5:00 PM ET). Apple CEO Tim Cook and chief financial officer Luca Maestri are expected to detail the company’s health.

    As legally required, Apple is to hold its quarterly investor conference call following the release of its Q2 earnings. This the regular timescale for the earnings call, and Apple has issued no guidance on what results to expect.

    Earnings calls typically last for an hour, and consist of prepared remarks from Cook and Maestri, followed by analyst and investor questions.

    During regular years, Q2 tends to be quieter than the previous quarter, as it follows the holiday sales that were listed in the Q1 call at the end of January, plus Apple has not released any new products.

    Where Apple previously issued guidance to investors as to a range of earnings to expect, the coronavirus has caused it to revise earnings down in February 2020. Since then, the company has tended not to issue guidance figure. It’s also thought that the pandemic could impact the normally quieter Q2 figures given the late release of the iPhone 12, which is expected to have pushed manufacturing and sales further into the year than usual.

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

    Via AppleInsider and investor.apple.com

  • Rumor: “AirPods 3” may not ship until Q3 2021

    Rumor: “AirPods 3” may not ship until Q3 2021

    Following predictions of an early 2021, noted analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has stated that Apple’s next-gen AirPods, or the “AirPods 3,” will not enter mass production until the third quarter of 2021.

    The updated prediction arrives days after leaked images of the AirPods and recent reports that the units were ready to ship went online. In a recent not to investors, Kuo stated that Apple has reportedly scheduled production for the third calendar quarter of 2021.

    Kuo has suggested that the new AirPods are delayed, albeit his note on Monday morning offered no suggestion of why the “AirPods 3” are to enter production later than expected.

    Kuo’s note also stated that there may be a a significant decline in the sales of AirPods overall. Up to the Q3 launch of the “AirPods 3,” Kuo predicts a year-over-year decline of around 25%, including low sales for the AirPods Max.

    “[Even] better-than-expected demand for the new AirPods 3, which will go to mass production in 3Q21, will allow 4Q21 shipments to remain flat YoY at 23 million units,” says Kuo.

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

    Via AppleInsider

  • Apple posts Q1 2021 financial results, reports $111.4 billion in revenues, $33.5 billion net profit

    Apple posts Q1 2021 financial results, reports $111.4 billion in revenues, $33.5 billion net profit

    Apple couldn’t have asked for a better quarter.

    The company posted $111.4 billion in revenue and a net profit of $33.5 for the first quarter of 2021, showing double digit growth across all product categories. The results represent 21 percent growth on the $91.8 billion in revenue seen for Q1 2020.

    The gross margin of $44.3 billion is up from Q1 2020’s $35.2 billion, while operating expenses are up/down year-on-year to $10.8 billion from $9.6 billion. Net profit is $33.5 billion, an improvement from $25.6 billion one year prior. 

    The high revenue is partly due to the seasonally higher sales of the iPhone 12, which hit $65.6 billion, up from $56 billion the previous year. It’s also thought that Apple’s decision to ship the new iPhone models later in the year carrier revenues over to Q1, helping to inflate the figures.

    Revenue for the iPad grew to $8.4 billion for Q1 2020. The Mac also posted nearly 18 percent growth and was responsible for $8.7 billion for the latest quarter’s result.

    Income from services rose 41 percent year-on-year, with revenues of $8.4 billion posted. Finally, Wearables, Home, and Accessories continued to rise from $10.1 billion in Q1 2020 to $12.97 billion for Q1 2021. 

    Along with the iPhone 12 launch, Apple also saw product launches with the Apple Watch Series 6, Apple Watch SE, 2020 iPad, iPad Air, HomePod mini, M1 Mac mini, M1 MacBook Air, the AirPods Max, and the M1 13-inch MacBook Pro.

    Apple continued its trend of refusing to provide forecasts for the following quarter, something it has done since the beginning of the pandemic. In a cautious statement, CFO Luca Maestri said Apple expects revenue growth to accelerate year-over-year in the second quarter. 

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

    Via AppleInsider

  • Rumor: Apple still on track to bring 12.9-inch iPad Pro with mini LED display to market in Q1 2021

    The word on the grapevine is that is you were hoping for a 12.9-inch iPad Pro with mini LED display technology in early 2021, you’re in luck.

    Per recent rumors, the tablet is thought to still be on track for Q1 of 2021, the report focusing broadly on Apple’s efforts to diversify its supply chain for displays and touch panels. Supplier BOE has reportedly gained approval to supply OLED screens for the iPhone lineup, while GIS will produce touch models for the new iPad Pro with mini LED, expected to be “launched in first-quarter 2021.”

    While this isn’t the first time that reports have indicated the the mini LED iPad Pro is en route for Q1 2021, it serves as continued supply chain corroboration that the transition is still moving ahead on schedule.

    The report also indicates that the transition to a mini LED display will begin with the 12.9-inch iPad Pro. This also indicates that the 11-inch iPad Pro will stick with LCD panels for some time, as there’s no word as to when the 11-inch iPad Pro might transition to mini LED.

    Apple is also rumored to be bringing mini LED display technology to two new MacBook Pro models in 2021. The notebooks are rumored by reliable Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo to incorporate an all-new form factor design and feature mini LED panels.

    Mini LED is a new form of backlighting that is used for LCD screens. It includes many of the same benefits as OLED, but oftentimes can offer increased brightness, improved power efficiency, and a lower risk of burn-in. This is why Apple plans to use it in its larger-screened devices, rather than OLED.

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

    Via 9to5Mac and DigiTimes

  • Rumor: Apple to bring 12.9-inch iPad Pro with miniLED backlighting to market in early 2021

    Once again, a leak from the supply chain offers some interesting tidbits as to what might be down the line.

    A report issued on Monday supports earlier predictions of a 12.9-inch iPad Pro with miniLED screen. This would be the first Apple product with this backlighting technology.

    MiniLED screens use the same IPS-LCD panels Apple uses for its existing iPads and MacBooks, but with a greatly improved backlighting system:

    By using very many more smaller LEDs for backlighting, it provides greater control over small sections of the screen. This offers many of the same benefits as OLED: higher contrast ratio, increased brightness, deeper blacks, and better power efficiency. But an LCD screen with miniLED backlighting is actually better than OLED in a couple of respects: it’s less prone to burn-in and has a longer life.

    Per Digitimes, Apple supplier Epistar is said to be providing the chips in question:

    Apple is expected to launch 12.9-inch mini LED-backlit iPad Pro in early 2021, with each tablet to use over 10,000 mini LEDs solely supplied by Epistar, the sources said. Epistar is ready to start production of mini LEDs by modifying its blue-light LED chipmaking equipment for producing such mini LEDs in third-quarter 2020, the sources noted.

    The report also indicated that Apple is working to bring two additional suppliers – Osram Opto Semiconductors and China-based Sanan Optoelectronics – on board.

    Such a move aligns with a not Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo’s July report stating that a 12.9-inch iPad Pro with miniLED screen could be seen in Q1 2021.

    It’s entirely possible that the exact timing remains uncertain at this stage as Apple seeks to prioritize production of the delayed iPhone 12 models, so either Q4 this year or Q1 next year would seem plausible at this point.

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

    Via 9to5Mac and Digitimes