Apple’s Installed Base Growth, Apple's Paid Subscriptions Growth, A More Effective Apple Growth Narrative for Wall Street

Last Friday’s update kicked off our Apple 1Q24 earnings review. When it comes to Apple’s financial story, trends are tracking close to Neil’s expectations. For today, we will take a closer look at one takeaway from earnings: Apple’s ecosystem growth.

An Above Avalon membership is required to read this update. Members can read the full update here. (Members: Daily Updates are accessible via the archive. If you haven’t logged into the archive before, fill out this form to receive an invite.)

Payment is hosted by MoonClerk and secured by Stripe. Apple Pay and other mobile payment options are accepted. After signup, use this link to update your payment information and membership status at any time.

An audio version of this update is available to members who have the podcast add-on attached to their membership. More information about the podcast add-on is found here. Special Inside Orchard bundle pricing is available for Above Avalon members. Additional membership customization is available via the Financial Models add-on.

Initial Thoughts on Apple’s 1Q24 Results, Apple’s 1Q24: By the Numbers, Parsing Apple’s 2Q24 Guidance

Apple’s 1Q24 earnings call was jam-packed with information. Unlike the average earnings call from Big Tech, Apple’s calls contain useful commentary and tidbits. More time will be needed to go through the disclosures, including the installed base information.

For today, we will look at the big picture from earnings, how the reported figures compared to my estimates, and Apple’s 2Q24 guidance.

An Above Avalon membership is required to read this update. Members can read the full update here. (Members: Daily Updates are accessible via the archive. If you haven’t logged into the archive before, fill out this form to receive an invite.)

Payment is hosted by MoonClerk and secured by Stripe. Apple Pay and other mobile payment options are accepted. After signup, use this link to update your payment information and membership status at any time.

An audio version of this update is available to members who have the podcast add-on attached to their membership. More information about the podcast add-on is found here. Special Inside Orchard bundle pricing is available for Above Avalon members. Additional membership customization is available via the Financial Models add-on.

Preparing for Apple’s 1Q24 Earnings Release


Apple reports FY1Q24 earnings (results from October to December) on Thursday. Today's update will begin our preparation for Apple's earnings as we go over Neil’s broader thoughts heading into Apple’s earnings.

An Above Avalon membership is required to read this update. Members can read the full update here. (Members: Daily Updates are accessible via the archive. If you haven’t logged into the archive before, fill out this form to receive an invite.)

Payment is hosted by MoonClerk and secured by Stripe. Apple Pay and other mobile payment options are accepted. After signup, use this link to update your payment information and membership status at any time.

An audio version of this update is available to members who have the podcast add-on attached to their membership. More information about the podcast add-on is found here. Special Inside Orchard bundle pricing is available for Above Avalon members. Additional membership customization is available via the Financial Models add-on.

My 4Q23 Apple Estimates, Early Thoughts on Apple’s 1Q24, My Current Apple Earnings Model

Apple reports FY4Q23 earnings on Thursday. Today’s update contains the second half of Neil’s earnings preview. The first half is available here. The update begins with Neil’s granular financial estimates. The discussion includes qualitative explanations for estimates related to Apple’s product categories. We then look at Neil’s expectations for what Apple will say about guidance (FY1Q24). We conclude with Neil’s updated Apple earnings model and how the model has changed over the past three months. Access to Neil’s Apple earnings model is a benefit associated with Above Avalon membership at no additional cost.

Hello everyone. Welcome to November.

We will continue our Apple 4Q23 earnings preview with a look at my granular estimates. The update also includes a few thoughts on Apple’s FY1Q24 guidance and my updated earnings model.

In keeping with our usual practice, tomorrow’s update (Thursday) will be pushed back a day so that we have a special Friday edition of the update to review Apple’s earnings. Apple will release earnings Thursday at 4:30 pm ET.

My 4Q23 Apple Estimates

Here are my granular estimates for Apple’s 4Q23:

  • Revenue: $88.9B (consensus: $84.2B)

  • Overall gross margin: 44.9% (guidance: 44% to 45%)

  • Gross margin (HW): 36.7%

  • Gross margin (Services): 70.7%

An Above Avalon membership is required to continue reading this update. Members can read the full update here. An audio version of this update is available to members who have the podcast add-on attached to their membership. More information about the podcast add-on is found here.

(Members: Daily Updates are always accessible by logging into Slack. If you haven’t logged into Slack before, fill out this form to receive an invite.)

Above Avalon Membership

Payment is processed and secured by Stripe. Apple Pay and other mobile payment options are accepted. Special Inside Orchard bundle pricing is available for Above Avalon members.

More information about Above Avalon membership, including the full list of benefits and privileges, is available here.

Setting the Stage for Apple’s FY4Q23 Earnings

Welcome to a new week. For today's update, we will kick off my Apple earnings preview with an overview of the setup heading into Thursday’s release. The plan is to continue the earnings preview on Wednesday.

As a reminder, Apple's "Scary Fast" online product event will take place tonight at 8 pm ET. We will talk about the announcements tomorrow.

Setting the Stage for Apple’s FY4Q23 Earnings

The setup heading into Apple earnings on Thursday is trending a tad positive. FY4Q results are notorious for being noisy quarters as supply issues cloud underlying demand for iPhone and Apple Watch. This was especially true this year as iPhone 15 Pro and Phone 15 Pro Max were in short supply at the end of September. The iPad and Mac will also likely fuel some ugly headlines with tough year-over-year compares. However, my expectation includes enough variables moving in the right direction to get Apple over its 4Q23 earnings expectations bar.

  • Margins remain impressive. Management guided close to a 11-year quarterly high for gross margin percentage.

  • Services revenue is trending stronger. Apple has been seeing growth in advertising, cloud services, and the App Store. The impact from price increases in 2022 for Music and TV+ will also help results. When considering Apple’s entire business, Services (and probably Apple Watch) come across as having the most impressive momentum.

An Above Avalon membership is required to continue reading this update. Members can read the full update here. An audio version of this update is available to members who have the podcast add-on attached to their membership. More information about the podcast add-on is found here.

(Members: Daily Updates are always accessible by logging into Slack. If you haven’t logged into Slack before, fill out this form to receive an invite.)

Above Avalon Membership

Payment is processed and secured by Stripe. Apple Pay and other mobile payment options are accepted. Special Inside Orchard bundle pricing is available for Above Avalon members.

More information about Above Avalon membership, including the full list of benefits and privileges, is available here.

Reading Between the Lines of Apple’s 3Q23 Earnings Q&A With Analysts

Hello everyone.

In today’s update, we will focus on Apple’s 3Q23 earnings Q&A session with analysts. After recapping each question-and-answer exchange that occurred on the call between Apple and sell-side analysts, we will go over my thoughts / response to the exchange. Let’s go beyond what was talked about on the call.

NOTE: The following earnings call questions (“Q (Sell-Side Firm)”) and answers (“Cook” or “Luca”) have been cut, summarized, paraphrased, and rearranged for clarity. To read the full question and answer exchanges, Seeking Alpha offers a written transcript here.

Reading Between the Lines of Apple’s 3Q23 Earnings Q&A With Analysts

Consumer Behavior

Q (Morgan Stanley): How is the consumer behaving today versus 90 days ago? Are there geographical differences?

Cook: Emerging markets was a strength. China saw acceleration. Europe saw a record for the June quarter. There are “some really good signs in most places in the world.” The smartphone market remains challenging in the U.S.

My response: The going theory for why the U.S. has been the outlier in terms of iPhone weakness is that economic anxiety (higher inflation and rates) combined with consumer behavior shifts (budget shift to services, leisure, eating out, and travel) have strained the appetite for consumer electronics. It also should be pointed out that the U.S. has one of, if not the highest, iPhone sales share in the world. There are fewer people in a position to switch to iPhone.

An Above Avalon membership is required to continue reading this update. Members can read the full update here. An audio version of this update is available to members who have the podcast add-on attached to their membership. More information about the podcast add-on is found here.

(Members: Daily Updates are always accessible by logging into Slack. If you haven’t logged into Slack before, fill out this form to receive an invite.)

Above Avalon Membership

Payment is processed and secured by Stripe. Apple Pay and other mobile payment options are accepted. Special Inside Orchard bundle pricing is available for Above Avalon members.

More information about Above Avalon membership, including the full list of benefits and privileges, is available here.

Apple 3Q23: By the Numbers, The Most Impressive Apple Number, About That Weak iPad Number

Today's special Friday edition of the Daily Update will be focused on reviewing Apple’s earnings. The idea is to keep things broad and look at the big picture takeaways. We also examine how Apple’s results compared to Neil’s expectations. The discussion will continue next week.

Hello everyone. We will begin reviewing Apple's FY3Q23 results. Let's jump right in.

Apple 3Q23: By the Numbers

The themes that guided the past few quarters for Apple were present in the company’s FY3Q23 results. Emerging markets strength is being offset by a slowdown in iPhone upgrading in the U.S. Meanwhile, solid Services revenue generation is being offset by weak Mac and iPad results. The result is mostly flat revenue growth with FX continuing to serve as a growth headwind (Apple’s FX hedging program creates a lag in receiving any weaker dollar benefit).

This past Monday, we went over three factors that point to FY2024 being a better one for Apple financially. Following Apple’s FY3Q23 results and earnings call, there has been no change in my thinking.

An Above Avalon membership is required to continue reading this update. Members can read the full update here. An audio version of this update is available to members who have the podcast add-on attached to their membership. More information about the podcast add-on is found here.

(Members: Daily Updates are always accessible by logging into Slack. If you haven’t logged into Slack before, fill out this form to receive an invite.)

Above Avalon Membership

Payment is processed and secured by Stripe. Apple Pay and other mobile payment options are accepted. Special Inside Orchard bundle pricing is available for Above Avalon members.

More information about Above Avalon membership, including the full list of benefits and privileges, is available here.

My FY3Q23 Apple Estimates, Early Thoughts on Apple’s FY4Q23

Apple reports FY3Q23 earnings on Thursday. Today’s update contains the second half of Neil’s earnings preview. The first half is available here. The update begins with Neil’s granular financial estimates. The discussion includes qualitative explanations for each of Apple’s product categories. We then look at Neil’s expectations for what Apple will say about guidance (FY4Q23).

Hello everyone. Welcome to August.

We will continue our Apple 3Q23 earnings preview with a look at my granular estimates. The update will conclude with a few thoughts on what Apple may say regarding 4Q23 guidance. My updated earnings model will be available in tomorrow’s update.

My 3Q23 Apple Estimates

Here are my granular estimates for Apple’s 3Q23:

  • Revenue: $82.0B (consensus: $81.6B)

  • Overall gross margin: 44.4% (guidance: 43.5% to 44.5%)

  • Gross margin (HW): 35.7%

An Above Avalon membership is required to continue reading this update. Members can read the full update here. An audio version of this update is available to members who have the podcast add-on attached to their membership. More information about the podcast add-on is found here.

(Members: Daily Updates are always accessible by logging into Slack. If you haven’t logged into Slack before, fill out this form to receive an invite.)

Above Avalon Membership

Payment is processed and secured by Stripe. Apple Pay and other mobile payment options are accepted. Special Inside Orchard bundle pricing is available for Above Avalon members.

More information about Above Avalon membership, including the full list of benefits and privileges, is available here.

Setting the Stage for Apple’s FY3Q23 Earnings

Apple reports FY3Q23 earnings (results from April to June) later this week. Today’s update includes Neil’s big picture thoughts heading into Apple’s earnings.

Happy Monday.

Apple reports earnings on Thursday. For those of you who may be new to Above Avalon membership, I wanted to quickly discuss the typical game plan for Apple earnings coverage.

Prior to Apple’s earnings release, we go over my expectations for what will be announced. These expectations cover both qualitative and quantitative items. Expectations are important given the role they play in adding context to a company’s results. My Apple earnings previews typically extend across two, possibly three, updates.

Once Apple reports earnings, we will then go over everything there is to say about the release, the earnings conference call, and even the 10-Q or 10-K. By the end of the process, we have a comprehensive overview of both Apple’s results for the prior three months and analysis of guidance for the current quarter.

Today, we will kick off my Apple earnings preview with an overview of the setup heading into Thursday’s release.

Setting the Stage for Apple’s FY3Q23 Earnings

Over the next few months, the setup is becoming more positive for Apple’s financial results. My expectation is that when Apple reports earnings on Thursday, we will begin to see and hear the early signs of this improvement. Apple’s guidance for FY4Q23 could still point to the business facing macro pressures, but that would then clear the deck in a way for an all-around better FY2024.

There are three factors behind this “improvement on the horizon” theme:

An Above Avalon membership is required to continue reading this update. Members can read the full update here. An audio version of this update is available to members who have the podcast add-on attached to their membership. More information about the podcast add-on is found here.

(Members: Daily Updates are always accessible by logging into Slack. If you haven’t logged into Slack before, fill out this form to receive an invite.)

Above Avalon Membership

Payment is processed and secured by Stripe. Apple Pay and other mobile payment options are accepted. Special Inside Orchard bundle pricing is available for Above Avalon members.

More information about Above Avalon membership, including the full list of benefits and privileges, is available here.

Reading Between the Lines of Apple’s 2Q23 Earnings Q&A With Analysts (Daily Update)

Hello everyone. Welcome to a new week.

Last Friday, we went over the numbers from Apple’s 2Q23 earnings release. We also looked at two of the major themes from earnings: the impact from less device upgrading and Apple’s emerging markets strength.

In today’s update, we will focus on Apple’s earnings Q&A session with analysts. After recapping each question-and-answer exchange that occurred on the call between Apple and sell-side analysts, we will go over my thoughts / response to the exchange. Let’s go beyond what was talked about on the call.

NOTE: The following earnings call questions (“Q (Sell-Side Firm)”) and answers (“Cook” or “Luca”) have been cut, summarized, paraphrased, and rearranged for clarity. To read the full question and answer exchanges, MarkerBeat offers a written transcript here.

iPhone

Q (Morgan Stanley): Did Apple experience iPhone demand deferral or destruction arising from the COVID shutdowns in late 2022?

Cook: Our 2Q23 results reflected some iPhone demand carryover from 1Q23. iPhone production is back where we want it to be.

My response: Recall our discussion heading into earnings about two variables driving iPhone sales in 2Q23: Underlying customer demand and a sales carryover from 1Q23 related to COVID shutdowns. Cook’s answer implies that

An Above Avalon membership is required to continue reading this update. Members can read the full update here. An audio version of this update is available to members who have the podcast add-on attached to their membership. More information about the podcast add-on is found here.

(Members: Daily Updates are always accessible by logging into Slack. If you haven’t logged into Slack before, fill out this form to receive an invite.)

Above Avalon Membership

Payment is processed and secured by Stripe. Apple Pay and other mobile payment options are accepted. Special Inside Orchard bundle pricing is available for Above Avalon members.

More information about Above Avalon membership, including the full list of benefits and privileges, is available here.

Apple 2Q23: By the Numbers, Apple Device Upgrading Slows, Apple's Emerging Markets Strength (Daily Update)

Today's special Friday edition of the Daily Update will be focused on reviewing Apple's earnings. The idea is to keep things broad and look at the big picture takeaways. We also examine how Apple’s results compared to Neil’s expectations.

Hello everyone. Welcome to a special edition Friday version of the daily update. We will begin going over Apple’s 2Q23 numbers and conference call.

For today, the focus will be on the key numbers and two big picture takeaways. The discussion will continue next week.

Let’s jump right in.

Apple 2Q23: By the Numbers

There were no major surprises found with Apple’s 2Q23 earnings. Device upgrading has slowed, although Apple continues to bring new users into the fold. While the iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch look OK, AirPods continues to experience growth turbulence, while the Mac is trying to find sales stabilization. In an environment where gross margin integrity is being rewarded, Apple’s results will get attention.

Apple’s guidance for 3Q23 is close to what sell-side analysts were expecting, which likely will come as a disappointment to some. Looking under the hood, it looks like the U.S. macro environment is indeed sluggish, backing up conclusions from various Fortune 500 firms. Offsetting such disappointment, Apple continues to see strong momentum in emerging markets as the company takes share from Android.

Here are Apple’s reported 2Q23 results versus my expectations with brief commentary for each item.

An Above Avalon membership is required to continue reading this update. Members can read the full update here. An audio version of this update is available to members who have the podcast add-on attached to their membership. More information about the podcast add-on is found here.

(Members: Daily Updates are always accessible by logging into Slack. If you haven’t logged into Slack before, fill out this form to receive an invite.)

Above Avalon Membership

Payment is processed and secured by Stripe. Apple Pay and other mobile payment options are accepted. Special Inside Orchard bundle pricing is available for Above Avalon members.

More information about Above Avalon membership, including the full list of benefits and privileges, is available here.

My Apple 2Q23 Estimates, Expectations for Apple's Capital Management Changes, My Revised Apple Earnings Model (Daily Update)

Apple reports FY2Q23 earnings on Thursday. Today’s update contains the second half of Neil’s earnings preview. The first half is available here. The update begins with Neil’s granular financial estimates. The discussion includes qualitative explanations for each of Apple’s product categories. We then look at Neil’s expectations for what Apple will announce regarding its cash dividend and share repurchase authorization. We conclude with Neil’s updated Apple earnings model and how the model has changed over the past three months. Access to Neil’s Apple earnings model is a benefit associated with Above Avalon membership at no additional cost.

Hello everyone. Similar to previous quarters, with Apple releasing earnings tomorrow, Thursday’s update will be pushed out a day so that there is a special edition Friday version of the daily update.

Let’s jump into the second half of my earnings preview.

My Apple 2Q23 Estimates

Here are my granular estimates for Apple’s 2Q23:

  • Revenue: $95.7B (consensus: $93.0B)

  • Overall gross margin: 44.6% (guidance: 43.5% to 44.5%)

  • Gross margin (HW): 37.5%

An Above Avalon membership is required to continue reading this update. Members can read the full update here. An audio version of this update is available to members who have the podcast add-on attached to their membership. More information about the podcast add-on is found here.

(Members: Daily Updates are always accessible by logging into Slack. If you haven’t logged into Slack before, fill out this form to receive an invite.)

Above Avalon Membership

Payment is processed and secured by Stripe. Apple Pay and other mobile payment options are accepted. Special Inside Orchard bundle pricing is available for Above Avalon members.

More information about Above Avalon membership, including the full list of benefits and privileges, is available here.

My Apple 1Q23 Estimates, Expectations by Apple Product Category, Updated Apple Earnings Model (Daily Update)

Hello everyone. Apple reports FY1Q23 earnings (results from October to December) on Thursday. Today’s update contains the second half of Neil’s earnings preview. The first half is available here. The update begins with Neil’s granular financial estimates. The discussion then turns to qualitative explanations for each of Apple’s product categories. We conclude with Neil’s updated Apple earnings model and how the model has changed over the past three months. Access to Neil’s Apple earnings model is a benefit associated with Above Avalon membership at no additional cost.

Let’s jump into today’s update.

My Apple 1Q23 Estimates

Here are my granular estimates for Apple’s 1Q23:

  • Revenue: $123.0B (consensus: $121.2B)

  • Overall gross margin: 42.8% (guidance: 42.5% to 43.5%)

  • Gross margin (HW): 37.0%

An Above Avalon membership is required to continue reading this update. Members can read the full update here. An audio version of this update is available to members who have the podcast add-on attached to their membership. More information about the podcast add-on is found here.

(Members: Daily Updates are always accessible by logging into Slack. If you haven’t logged into Slack before, fill out this form to receive an invite.)

Above Avalon Membership

Payment is processed and secured by Stripe. Apple Pay and other mobile payment options are accepted. Special Inside Orchard bundle pricing is available for Above Avalon members.

More information about Above Avalon membership, including the full list of benefits and privileges, is available here.

Setting the Stage for Apple 1Q23 Earnings, About AAPL’s Move Higher, Looking Ahead at Apple’s 2Q23 (Daily Update)

Hello everyone. Welcome to a new week.

Apple reports FY1Q23 earnings (results from October to December) on Thursday. We kick off today’s update with Neil’s thoughts and expectations heading into Apple’s earnings. The discussion goes over implications found with AAPL’s recent outperformance to the market. The update concludes with some of Neil’s early thoughts regarding how Apple’s 2Q23 (January to March) is trending.

We will go over Neil’s granular Apple financial estimates tomorrow. His revised Apple earnings model will also be ready.

Let’s jump into today’s update.

Setting the Stage for Apple 1Q23 Earnings

Heading into Apple’s earnings release on Thursday, expectations for what Apple will announce remain muted. Even though Apple shares are up 10% so far in 2023, the move doesn’t necessarily correspond with consensus believing Apple’s results and guidance will surprise to the upside. More on that shortly.

Low or muted expectations for Apple’s results may come as somewhat of a surprise. The company’s 4Q22 results were decent. Here was a very quick summary:

“Despite facing major FX headwinds, Apple’s ecosystem remained on track in 4Q22. The company reported all-around solid 4Q22 results. The few areas of weakness (iPad and Services came in below my expectations) were offset by iPhone, Mac, and Apple Watch sales strength.”

While 1Q23 guidance was a tad weak with revenue growth coming in about 200 basis points lower versus my (adjusted) expectations – check out our 4Q22 earnings review here for the details as to how that number was derived - Tim Cook and CFO Luca Maestri sounded

An Above Avalon membership is required to continue reading this update. Members can read the full update here. An audio version of this update is available to members who have the podcast add-on attached to their membership. More information about the podcast add-on is found here.

(Members: Daily Updates are always accessible by logging into Slack. If you haven’t logged into Slack before, fill out this form to receive an invite.)

Above Avalon Membership

Payment is processed and secured by Stripe. Apple Pay and other mobile payment options are accepted. Special Inside Orchard bundle pricing is available for Above Avalon members.

More information about Above Avalon membership, including the full list of benefits and privileges, is available here.

Inside Apple’s Record Mac Quarter, What’s Going On With iPad Sales?, Charting Apple’s Ecosystem Growth (Daily Update)

In today's update, we will continue our Apple 4Q22 earnings review with a few granular takeaways. In particular, we look beyond the Mac and iPad numbers. Tomorrow, our focus will be geared toward everything that was discussed on management's earnings call.

Inside Apple’s Record Mac Quarter

Apple reported $11.5B of Mac revenue in 4Q22. It was a quarterly record that exceeded my estimate by a significant $1.5B. Prior to 4Q22, the previous Mac revenue record was $10.9B (in 1Q22).

Diving deeper into 4Q22 Mac results, things become more complicated. We may be seeing something equivalent to a near-term plateau, or growth air pocket, for Mac sales.

An Above Avalon membership is required to continue reading this update. Members can read the full update here. An audio version of this update is available to members who have the podcast add-on attached to their membership. More information about the podcast add-on is found here.

(Members: Daily Updates are always accessible by logging into Slack. If you haven’t logged into Slack before, fill out this form to receive an invite.)

Above Avalon Membership

Payment is processed and secured by Stripe. Apple Pay and other mobile payment options are accepted. Special Inside Orchard bundle pricing is available for Above Avalon members.

The daily updates have become widely read and influential in the world of Apple and technology. They are unmatched in the marketplace in terms of comprehensive analysis and research on all things Apple. Members reside in 60 countries and hold a diverse range of backgrounds and occupations. They include Silicon Valley executives and investors, the largest Apple shareholders, and the leading Apple journalists in the business.

More information about Above Avalon membership, including the full list of benefits and privileges, is available here.

My Initial Reaction to Apple Earnings, Apple 4Q22: By the Numbers, Breaking Down Apple’s Guidance (Daily Update)

Today’s update will be dedicated to going over Apple’s 4Q22 results and management commentary. The idea is to keep things broad today and look at the big picture, in addition to the financial results. The discussion will continue next week as we move beyond the numbers to look at the granular takeaways.

My Initial Reaction to Apple Earnings

Apple went into this earnings season possessing the most formidable ecosystem of devices and services in the world. Despite facing major FX headwinds, Apple’s ecosystem remained on track in 4Q22. The company reported all-around solid 4Q22 results. The few areas of weakness (iPad and Services came in below my expectations) were offset by iPhone, Mac, and Apple Watch sales strength.

An Above Avalon membership is required to continue reading this update. Members can read the full update here. An audio version of this update is available to members who have the podcast add-on attached to their membership. More information about the podcast add-on is found here.

(Members: Daily Updates are always accessible by logging into Slack. If you haven’t logged into Slack before, fill out this form to receive an invite.)

Above Avalon Membership

Payment is processed and secured by Stripe. Apple Pay and other mobile payment options are accepted. Special Inside Orchard bundle pricing is available for Above Avalon members.

The daily updates have become widely read and influential in the world of Apple and technology. They are unmatched in the marketplace in terms of comprehensive analysis and research on all things Apple. Members reside in 60 countries and hold a diverse range of backgrounds and occupations. They include Silicon Valley executives and investors, the largest Apple shareholders, and the leading Apple journalists in the business.

More information about Above Avalon membership, including the full list of benefits and privileges, is available here.

Previewing Apple’s 4Q22 Earnings, My Apple 4Q22 Estimates, Apple Raises Apple Music and Apple TV+ Pricing (Daily Update)

Happy Tuesday.

We will go over my updated Apple earnings model tomorrow. It's not quite ready for publication. As a reminder, with Apple reporting earnings on Thursday, here is the daily update schedule for the rest of the week:

  • Wednesday: Regular update

  • Thursday: No update

  • Friday: Special Friday update dedicated to reviewing Apple earnings

Previewing Apple’s 4Q22 Earnings

My expectation is for Apple to report OK results on Thursday. While FX, inflation, and ongoing supply chain issues will negatively impact numbers, Apple should be able to comfortably exceed the all-time FY4Q revenue record ($83B is the current record).

FY4Q presents a few challenges for Apple financial modeling and earnings analysis as results reflect demand and supply trends 1) leading up to the critical September product launches and 2) a portion of the product launches themselves. For Apple, those two periods can end up representing distinct demand environments.

An Above Avalon membership is required to continue reading this update. Members can read the full update here. An audio version of this update is available to members who have the podcast add-on attached to their membership. More information about the podcast add-on is found here.

(Members: Daily Updates are always accessible by logging into Slack. If you haven’t logged into Slack before, fill out this form to receive an invite.)

Above Avalon Membership

Payment is processed and secured by Stripe. Apple Pay and other mobile payment options are accepted. Special Inside Orchard bundle pricing is available for Above Avalon members.

The daily updates have become widely read and influential in the world of Apple and technology. They are unmatched in the marketplace in terms of comprehensive analysis and research on all things Apple. Members reside in 60 countries and hold a diverse range of backgrounds and occupations. They include Silicon Valley executives and investors, the largest Apple shareholders, and the leading Apple journalists in the business.

More information about Above Avalon membership, including the full list of benefits and privileges, is available here.

Apple FY3Q22 Earnings Recap

Two weeks ago, Apple reported a solid FY3Q22 (April to June) given the tough year-over-year compare and considerable FX headwind. In terms of good news, supply chain issues, component shortages, and COVID-related headwinds appear to have bottomed for Apple. When it comes to bad news, some parts of Apple’s business are getting hit by inflation and slowing economic growth more than others.

Here are Apple’s reported 3Q22 results versus my expectations with brief commentary for each item.

  • Revenue: $83.0 (vs. my $85.9B estimate). Results missed my estimate due to a larger than expected headwind from FX, a larger than expected supply shortage with Mac, and macro issues impacting Wearables, Home, and Accessories.

  • EPS: $1.20 (vs. my $1.25).

  • iPhone revenue: $40.7B (vs. my $39.9B). That’s a good iPhone revenue number that doesn’t raise any yellow or red flags to me.

  • Services revenue: $19.6B (vs. my $20.1B). Results missed primarily on a larger than expected headwind from FX.

  • Wearables / Home / Accessories revenue: $8.1B (vs. my $9.4B). This was a weak number which Apple attributed to a “cocktail of headwinds.”

  • Mac revenue: $7.4B (vs. my $8.9B). Apple experienced major issues with supply as the Mac was the product category impacted the most by COVID lockdowns closing factories in China.

  • iPad revenue: $7.2B (vs. my $7.6B). Apple experienced ongoing issues with iPad supply.

  • Overall gross margin: 43.3% (vs. my 43.3%)

  • Services gross margin: 71.5% (vs. my 72.0%)

  • Products (HW) gross margin: 34.5% (vs. my 34.5%)

Breaking down the $2.9B revenue miss to my estimate, there were two primary drivers:

  • $1.5B revenue miss due to Mac supply not being as good as thought.

  • $1.3B revenue miss due to weaker Wearables, Home, and Accessories.

Even though Apple missed my (elevated) expectations, the company reported a 3Q22 beat to consensus as revenue came in about $2B stronger than sell-side analysts were expecting. The beat was due to stronger iPhone revenue as most analysts were expecting something more like $36B to $38B of iPhone revenue (vs. the $40.7B reported figure). EPS came in $0.04 above consensus as Apple’s margins came in slightly better than consensus thought as well.

An Above Avalon membership is required to continue reading this article. Members can read the full article here.

The full article includes the following sections:

  • Apple’s 3Q22: The Key Numbers

  • iPhone Sales Resiliency

  • Apple Ecosystem Growth Slows

  • Reading Between the Lines of Apple’s 3Q22 Earnings Q&A With Analysts

  • Notes From Apple’s 3Q22 10-Q

  • Tracking Apple’s Paid Subscriptions

  • Apple's Share Buyback Update

  • My Revised Apple Financial Estimates

An audio version of the article is available to members who have the podcast add-on attached to their membership. More information about the add-on is found here.

Above Avalon Membership

Become a member by using the following signup forms (starting at $20 per month or $200 per year).

Payment is processed and secured by Stripe. Apple Pay and other mobile payment options are accepted. Special Inside Orchard bundle pricing is available for Above Avalon members.