Apple analysts expected to seek clarity on tariffs, AI strategy during earnings conference call
Apple is anticipated to address concerns about the delayed launch of major AI features and the effects of the U.S.-China tariff dispute on its operations during its Thursday earnings report.
Reuters:
Even as Apple benefited from a rush of orders for its recently launched lower-priced iPhone 16e in the January-March period ahead of potential tariffs, Wall Street analysts still expect the company will report a small fall in iPhone sales. That would mark a second straight quarter of declines.
“Tariffs are a sword of Damocles for Apple – dangling, disruptive and politically charged,” said Eric Schiffer, chairman of Patriarch Organization, a California-based private equity firm that holds Apple shares.
Unlike rivals such as Samsung and Alphabet’s Google, Apple has also been slow to roll out some important AI features it promised last year at its developer conference.
Improvements to voice assistant Siri, a common ask from users and investors, have been delayed to 2026, and Apple pulled a commercial that promoted AI functionalities that were not yet available.
MacDailyNews Take: Reuters buries the lede, concluding with, “Overall, Apple’s revenue is expected to rise 4.2% in the January-March period, its fiscal second quarter, roughly matching the pace in the first quarter. Growth will likely be driven by upbeat iPad demand and growth in the services business. iPad sales are expected to rise 9.1% in the second quarter, while the services business, Apple’s biggest revenue generator after the iPhone, will likely grow 11.8%.”
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[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Fred Mertz” for the heads up.]
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