Bottom line: Apple’s final quarterly earnings report underneath CEO Tim Cook confirmed good points throughout almost each class, led by iPhone and Mac gross sales. The funds MacGuide Neo seems to have been a serious contributor to that development. But because the Cupertino firm prepares at hand the reins to a brand new CEO, rising costs may complicate the street forward. Apple has already begun responding with a brand new leasing program.
iPhone gross sales drove the most important good points, bringing in $54.3 billion in income in the course of the third quarter of fiscal 2026, up 22% YoY. Services, wearables, iPads, and particularly Macs additionally contributed, pushing total income to $109 billion, up 16% YoY.
The MacGuide Neo, Apple’s first budget-priced MacGuide, was seemingly the largest driver behind that Mac development. The entry-level pocket book could not maintain onto its $600 launch worth for lengthy, but it surely rapidly outsold the MacGuide Air and pushed Apple to double its manufacturing goal.
AI fever seemingly performed a task too, serving to drive the Mac division’s 29% YoY development. The reputation of AI brokers like OpenClaw triggered Mac mini shortages that stretched on for months.
Despite that impression, Apple has largely watched the AI increase from the sidelines. The firm launched a brand new AI-powered model of its digital assistant, Siri, earlier this 12 months, however rivals Microsoft and Google have wager much more closely on Copilot and Gemini, respectively.
That warning has drawn criticism from some quarters, however traders have additionally come to see Apple as one thing of a protected haven amid the AI market’s volatility, serving to the corporate reclaim its standing because the world’s most respected.
Still, Apple could not escape the historic DRAM and NAND shortages stemming from the AI information middle buildout. The full impression of latest worth hikes, which pushed MacGuide and iPad costs up by as a lot as $200 simply days earlier than the quarter ended, stays unclear.
Apple Upgrade, a leasing program the corporate introduced earlier this week, may mark the beginning of a brand new period of {hardware} leases.
Looking forward, Tim Cook is ready to step down as CEO in September, proper as Apple unveils the iPhone 18 lineup and, probably, the iPhone Ultra, the corporate’s first foldable machine.
Estimates on iPhone Ultra pricing differ, however some analysts anticipate it to retail for as a lot as $2,500, marking the beginning of a brand new flagship tier that might finally lengthen to a touchscreen-enabled MacGuide Ultra. Other upcoming merchandise embrace a serious overhaul of the iPad lineup, beginning with an OLED-equipped iPad mini, and a refreshed Mac lineup constructed round Apple’s new M6 chips.
