Apple Reports Third Quarter Results • Hacker News Board

Re: Apple Reports Third Quarter Results

#41

Post by betterth » Wed, Jul 25, 2012, 1:10 AM UTC

mikeash wrote: post #27

endlessvoid94 wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't really understand how people keep calling Apple a hardware company. Yes, they make their own hardware (in some cases) but on the record, repeatedly, everyone at Apple says, all the time, that they treat themselves as a software company.

To call Apple a hardware or a software company is to miss the point entirely. Is Ford a wheel company or an engine company?

That's not fair, both wheels and engines are hardware ;)

In all seriousness Apple isn't either. They make better software than any hardware company I know of, and better hardware than any software company I know.

Re: Apple Reports Third Quarter Results

#42

Post by mikeash » Wed, Jul 25, 2012, 1:39 AM UTC

betterth wrote: post #41

mikeash wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

To call Apple a hardware or a software company is to miss the point entirely. Is Ford a wheel company or an engine company?

That's not fair, both wheels and engines are hardware ;) In all seriousness Apple isn't either. They make better software than any hardware company I know of, and better hardware than any software company I know.

My point is that both wheels and engines are simply components of what Ford actually makes, which is cars. Likewise hardware and software are just components of what Apple actually makes.

Totally agree that Apple isn't either, which was exactly my point.

Re: Apple Reports Third Quarter Results

#43

Post by velodrome » Wed, Jul 25, 2012, 2:02 AM UTC

vijayr wrote: post #5

Almost 43% gross margin, for a (mostly) hardware company !!

Apple is a platform company. Would you call facebook a hardware company if it came out with a phone to help propagate its platform?

Apple (or Microsoft) sells a platform. Samsung sells hardware. Intuit sells software.

Re: Apple Reports Third Quarter Results

#44

Post by greedo » Wed, Jul 25, 2012, 2:07 AM UTC

jusben1369 wrote: post #31

yoda_sl wrote: post #2

From the Press Release: the Company sold 26.0 million iPhones in the quarter, representing 28 percent unit growth over the year-ago quarter. Apple sold 17.0 million iPads during the quarter, an 84 percent unit increase over the year-ago quarter. The Company sold 4.0 million Macs during the quarter, a two percent unit increase over the year-ago quarter. Apple sold 6.8 million iPods, a 10 percent unit decline from the…

This caught my eye. 26 million iPhones. Galaxy S III just did 10 million in 6 weeks since launch? That's 20 million in a quarter. Assume the iPhone number is a blended number too between older and latest model. So did we just see the first real example of one phone model legitimately challenge the iPhone? The argument was always that Android success was across so many phones. Now is the breaking down? Please don't fl…

Apple reports sales to consumers; Samsung reports sales to vendors.

Re: Apple Reports Third Quarter Results

#45

Post by joezydeco » Wed, Jul 25, 2012, 2:12 AM UTC

jusben1369 wrote: post #31

yoda_sl wrote: post #2

From the Press Release: the Company sold 26.0 million iPhones in the quarter, representing 28 percent unit growth over the year-ago quarter. Apple sold 17.0 million iPads during the quarter, an 84 percent unit increase over the year-ago quarter. The Company sold 4.0 million Macs during the quarter, a two percent unit increase over the year-ago quarter. Apple sold 6.8 million iPods, a 10 percent unit decline from the…

This caught my eye. 26 million iPhones. Galaxy S III just did 10 million in 6 weeks since launch? That's 20 million in a quarter. Assume the iPhone number is a blended number too between older and latest model. So did we just see the first real example of one phone model legitimately challenge the iPhone? The argument was always that Android success was across so many phones. Now is the breaking down? Please don't fl…

I guess the question is: how many iPhone users are locked in contracts and can't move to another phone at the moment, and would they move to the Galaxy S III if they could?

Re: Apple Reports Third Quarter Results

#46

Post by Danieru » Wed, Jul 25, 2012, 2:20 AM UTC

greedo wrote: post #44

jusben1369 wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This caught my eye. 26 million iPhones. Galaxy S III just did 10 million in 6 weeks since launch? That's 20 million in a quarter. Assume the iPhone number is a blended number too between older and latest model. So did we just see the first real example of one phone model legitimately challenge the iPhone? The argument was always that Android success was across so many phones. Now is the breaking down? Please don't fl…

Apple reports sales to consumers; Samsung reports sales to vendors.

Which might hide a week or two of supply line latency. The difference only becomes very important when the product is dead in the water. Like the Playbook & Windows Phone 7.

Re: Apple Reports Third Quarter Results

#47

Post by InclinedPlane » Wed, Jul 25, 2012, 2:45 AM UTC

hristov wrote: post #28

jpxxx wrote: post #14

TL;DR: Exceeded guidance, no blowout. Mac sales are static, overall iPhone sales softening as the lineup ages, iPads surging, iPod continues to dwindle, miscellaneous sales remain miscellaneous. + stock buyback next year + dividends being issued as expected + China sales exploding So: a quiet quarter. New Mac OS released tomorrow. Yay!

You forgot another one -- estimates missed.

If you can make $8 billion profit in a single quarter and for some reasons the estimates where higher, that's a problem with the estimators, not with your business. In 2012 on the planet Earth averaging nearly $4 million in profit every single hour of every single day is tremendous business.

Re: Apple Reports Third Quarter Results

#48

Post by fpgeek » Wed, Jul 25, 2012, 2:54 AM UTC

asdfdsa1234 wrote: post #9

Gross revenue and margin rose. Slow iPhone sales were the only weak spot in the report, which is unsurprising given the age of the current model.

Not entirely. The iPad ASP drifting downwards isn't great, especially with an "iPad Mini" rumored to be on the horizon.

Re: Apple Reports Third Quarter Results

#49

Post by fpgeek » Wed, Jul 25, 2012, 2:57 AM UTC

jusben1369 wrote: post #33

swalsh wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The current model is less then a year old, I think the problem is people are waiting for 4g.

ATT mentioned in their earnings call that they've made it harder to upgrade by extending the amount of time you must wait to be able to upgrade. They did it to boost earnings and it helped. That might also explain the softness in the iPhone numbers.

Wait, there's more than one way for AT&T to dial back the subsidies it is paying Apple? Who'd have guessed that? I thought their customers wanted the iPhone so badly that they had no choice in the matter.

It's also worth noting that upgrade games for iPhone users are quite common outside the US (higher "early upgrade" fee, delayed upgrade eligibility and so on). It isn't terribly surprising to see AT&T borrowing from that playbook (though I suppose they should patent those tricks before Apple does ;) ).

Re: Apple Reports Third Quarter Results

#50

Post by fallous » Wed, Jul 25, 2012, 3:00 AM UTC

jusben1369 wrote: post #31

yoda_sl wrote: post #2

From the Press Release: the Company sold 26.0 million iPhones in the quarter, representing 28 percent unit growth over the year-ago quarter. Apple sold 17.0 million iPads during the quarter, an 84 percent unit increase over the year-ago quarter. The Company sold 4.0 million Macs during the quarter, a two percent unit increase over the year-ago quarter. Apple sold 6.8 million iPods, a 10 percent unit decline from the…

This caught my eye. 26 million iPhones. Galaxy S III just did 10 million in 6 weeks since launch? That's 20 million in a quarter. Assume the iPhone number is a blended number too between older and latest model. So did we just see the first real example of one phone model legitimately challenge the iPhone? The argument was always that Android success was across so many phones. Now is the breaking down? Please don't fl…

And how much money did the Galaxy S III earn on those 10 million sales vs iPhone?

I'm no Apple fanboy, but it always amuses me that the Android boosters talk unit numbers while Apple continues their "BMW" revenues on product. Congrats, you sold 100 Beetles... our sales of 1 BMW generated more profit.