Apple 1Q26 Earnings Review: Margin Concerns Are Overblown
Happy Wednesday.
To recap where we stand with reviewing Apple's 1Q26 earnings.
Last Friday: Big picture overview and the numbers
Tuesday: All about iPhone
Today: Margins
Let's jump in.
Apple 1Q26 Earnings Review: Margin Concerns Are Overblown
Heading into Apple’s 1Q26 earnings release, margin concerns were among the list of items thought to be contributing to Wall Street’s negative view regarding Apple. Memory pricing inflation had been in the news for weeks. There was also growing chatter and speculation surrounding the Apple / TSMC relationship as it pertained to future pricing and supply. We could have even thrown in lingering tariff cost concerns into the margins discussion, although the tariff topic does seem to have genuinely been put on the back burner for now with Apple’s exposure being contained.
Based on Apple management’s commentary on the 1Q26 earnings call, gross margin fears are overblown based on how events on the ground are trending. While Apple will likely see some pressure from select higher component pricing, a handful of tailwinds are positioned to help offset those headwinds.
Memory accounts for a relatively small percentage
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Apple 1Q26 Earnings Review: Let’s Talk About iPhone Results
Happy Tuesday. We are going to continue our Apple 1Q26 earnings review. Today’s update took a bit longer than expected to finalize.
Last Friday, we went over my initial thoughts regarding Apple’s results and how the numbers compared to my estimates. 1Q26 earnings and 2Q26 guidance were very strong. For this week, we will take a closer look at specific earnings-related topics. Today’s update will be focused on the iPhone.
Apple 1Q26 Earnings Review: Let’s Talk About the iPhone
Based on Apple’s earnings releases and conference call with analysts, here’s what we know about the latest iPhone results:
iPhone revenue: $85.3B (up 23%).
The $85.3B of revenue was constrained a bit by supply (advanced node 3nm capacity for SoCs). This supply shortage materialized via “very lean channel inventory” as management could not put as many iPhones into the channel as they wanted.
Apple said they sold a record number of iPhones in China in 1Q26 (Greater China revenue was up 38%). Records were put in for number of upgraders and strong double-digit growth on switchers. Recall how Apple’s 4Q25 iPhone results were hit by iPhone shortages in China.
As shown in the exhibit below, Apple is experiencing a step-up in iPhone revenue from approximately $200B/year to
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Apple 1Q26 Earnings Review: People Want What Apple Is Selling
Hello everyone.
Welcome to a special Friday edition of the Above Avalon Daily. It’s been a busy week. For today’s update, I wanted to share the big picture takeaway from Apple’s earnings and how results compared to my estimates. There is plenty more to discuss. We will do that next week.
Have a great weekend.
Apple 1Q26 Earnings Review: People Want What Apple Is Selling
The theme to our Apple 1Q26 earnings preview was divergence. Wall Street had turned skeptical of Apple just as the company’s business fundamentals were entering a higher gear. Apple’s 1Q26 results validated that theme. Apple reported its best quarter in four years. To then have Apple’s very strong 1Q26 results be constrained by supply tells us that demand is improving even faster than what is implied by the numbers. While the iPhone deservedly is getting much of the attention – revenue up 23% - the entire Apple ecosystem is seeing improved demand. People want what Apple is selling.
We have spent the past 18 to 24 months talking about how Apple product demand was beginning
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Previewing Apple’s 1Q26 Earnings: My Estimates, Above Avalon Expectation Meters (1Q26 Edition)
Hello everyone. Today’s update will conclude our Apple 1Q26 earnings preview. Apple reports earnings on Thursday at 4:30 pm ET.
Let’s jump in.
Previewing Apple’s 1Q26 Earnings: My Estimates
The overall theme to my Apple FY1Q26 estimates: improving fundamentals. Most financial line items are trending better in FY2026 compared to FY2025. There are a few exceptions which we will discuss in a few minutes.
Apple will report the following records on Thursday:
Quarterly revenue
Operating income
Net income
iPhone quarterly revenue
Services quarterly revenue
Services gross margin
Here are my expectations for Apple’s key 1Q26 metrics:
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Previewing Apple’s 1Q26 Earnings: Wall Street Is on Edge
Hello everyone.
Monday doubled as snowstorm cleanup day here in Connecticut. We received a little bit north of 16 inches, the most in about a decade. It certainly felt more during cleanup.
For today’s update, we will begin previewing Apple’s 1Q26 earnings which will be released on Thursday. The discussion will roll into tomorrow's update as well.
Previewing Apple’s 1Q26 Earnings: Wall Street Is on Edge
We are witnessing one of the largest divergences heading into an Apple earnings release in recent memory.
The company’s business fundamentals continue to improve. The company is going to report an all-time quarterly record on a few fronts on Thursday. Thanks to strong device sales trends and robust Services performance, revenue growth is trending 3x stronger than what it was last year at this time.
Set against these improving trends, Wall Street’s attitude and feelings toward Apple has turned negative over the past two months.
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