Apple defies industry trend: iPhone sales rise
Despite weakening economy: Apple posts record figures in subscription business and exceeds analysts' expectations

The U.S. tech giant Apple has again grown strongly in the second quarter of fiscal year 2023. In particular, sales of the new iPhone model contributed to the fact that the decline in quarterly revenues compared to the previous year was only half as high as experts had feared. Sales fell by three percent to 94.8 billion US dollars. Nevertheless, the bottom line was left with a profit of 24.15 billion U.S. dollars, compared with around 25 billion U.S. dollars a year earlier. The company's stock rose 2.5 percent in after-hours trading.
Revenue from iPhones grew 1.5 percent to $51.33 billion. "We're seeing record numbers of iPhones in use across all geographic regions," company CEO Tim Cook said. Demand in emerging markets such as Brazil, India and Mexico picked up particularly strongly, he said. That was due to pent-up demand last quarter after sales of the more expensive and for the manufacturer more lucrative iPhone 14 Pro were slowed in the Christmas quarter by corona lockdowns in Chinese factories.
In addition to iPhone sales, the U.S. company's subscription business, which includes services such as Apple Music and Fitness, also set a new record. With an increase of 5.5 percent to 20.9 billion U.S. dollars, this area became the number two profit earner. The number of subscriptions rose by 40 million to 975 million within three months.
However, there were also areas in which Apple was less successful. Sales of Mac computers fell by a good 31 percent to 7.17 billion US dollars, while computer sales had recently shrunk significantly. iPad sales suffered a similar fate. Demand in China was also disappointing. Here, sales shrank by an above-average 2.9 percent to 17.8 billion US dollars. Analysts see this as a warning signal, as Apple needs China as an important growth and profit driver.
Despite challenges in some segments, Apple overall was able to at least partially escape the weakening global economy. The tech company remains a major player in the industry and has proven that it can hold its own even in difficult times.
