Apple is set to report its financial results this afternoon for Q1 2015, a three-month period spanning October through December that directly followed the launch of the highly-anticipated iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. Despite offering guidance of between $63.5 to $66.5 billion in total sales, many analysts are predicting that Apple outpaced those numbers in what could amount to a record-breaking quarter.
Fortune has averaged the estimates of 35 analysts, including 20 professionals and 15 amateurs, and determined that expectations are for Apple to report earnings of $2.68 per share, a nearly 30% year-over-year increase, and revenue of $68.7 billion, about a 20% increase from the year-ago quarter and $2.2 billion higher than Apple's high-end forecast.
The first quarter has historically been the most lucrative for Apple, as the company typically launches new or refreshed products in the fall ahead of the busy holiday shopping season. Apple has posted record-breaking first quarter earnings results for over a decade, a span in which it announced several iconic products such as the iPod, iPhone, iPad, MacBook Pro and MacBook Air.
Analysts believe that Q1 2015 will be a home run for Apple on the strength of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. The larger screen sizes of the new smartphones were a major draw for many existing iPhone users looking to upgrade, and enough of a reason for some Android users to make the switch. Apple also launched a few other noteworthy products in the quarter, including the iMac with Retina 5K Display and new iPads.
MacRumors will be providing live coverage of Apple's financial results as they are reported around 1:30 PM PT (4:30 PM ET), including the subsequent earnings conference call with CEO Tim Cook and CFO Luca Maestri at 2 PM PT (5 PM ET). At that time, we'll have a clearer picture of just how well Apple managed to perform in the quarter.
Friday December 5, 2025 9:40 am PST by Tim Hardwick
Apple is about to release iOS 26.2, the second major point update for iPhones since iOS 26 was rolled out in September, and there are at least 15 notable changes and improvements worth checking out. We've rounded them up below.
Apple is expected to roll out iOS 26.2 to compatible devices sometime between December 8 and December 16. When the update drops, you can check Apple's servers for the ...
Friday December 5, 2025 10:08 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Intel is expected to begin supplying some Mac and iPad chips in a few years, and the latest rumor claims the partnership might extend to the iPhone.
In a research note with investment firm GF Securities this week, obtained by MacRumors, analyst Jeff Pu said he and his colleagues "now expect" Intel to reach a supply deal with Apple for at least some non-pro iPhone chips starting in 2028....
A U.S. appeals court has upheld a temporary restraining order that prevents OpenAI and Jony Ive's new hardware venture from using the name "io" for products similar to those planned by AI audio startup iyO, Bloomberg Law reports.
iyO sued OpenAI earlier this year after the latter announced its partnership with Ive's new firm, arguing that OpenAI's planned "io" branding was too close to its...
Monday December 1, 2025 2:40 am PST by Tim Hardwick
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models at the same time, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 18 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max.
One thing worth...
Thursday December 4, 2025 9:30 am PST by Joe Rossignol
In a statement shared with Bloomberg on Wednesday, Apple confirmed that its software design chief Alan Dye will be leaving. Apple said Dye will be succeeded by Stephen Lemay, who has been a software designer at the company since 1999.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced that Dye will lead a new creative studio within the company's AR/VR division Reality Labs.
On his blog Daring Fireball,...
Monday December 1, 2025 3:00 am PST by Tim Hardwick
Apple is expected to launch a new foldable iPhone next year, based on multiple rumors and credible sources. The long-awaited device has been rumored for years now, but signs increasingly suggest that 2026 could indeed be the year that Apple releases its first foldable device.
Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos.
Below, we've collated an updated set of key details that ...
There is uncertainty about Apple's head of hardware engineering John Ternus succeeding Tim Cook as CEO, The Information reports. Some former Apple executives apparently hope that a new "dark-horse" candidate will emerge.
Ternus is considered to be the most likely candidate to succeed Cook as CEO. The report notes that he is more likely to become CEO than software head chief Craig Federighi, ...
Apple's senior vice president of hardware technologies Johny Srouji could be the next leading executive to leave the company amid an alarming exodus of leading employees, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports.
Srouji apparently recently told CEO Tim Cook that he is "seriously considering leaving" in the near future. He intends to join another company if he departs. Srouji leads Apple's chip design ...
Tuesday December 2, 2025 11:09 am PST by Juli Clover
Apple is encouraging iPhone users who are still running iOS 18 to upgrade to iOS 26 by making the iOS 26 software upgrade option more prominent.
Since iOS 26 launched in September, it has been displayed as an optional upgrade at the bottom of the Software Update interface in the Settings app. iOS 18 has been the default operating system option, and users running iOS 18 have seen iOS 18...
Wednesday December 3, 2025 10:33 am PST by Juli Clover
Apple today seeded the release candidate versions of upcoming iOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2 updates to developers and public beta testers, with the software coming two weeks after Apple seeded the third betas. The release candidates represent the final versions of iOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2 that will be provided to the public if no further bugs are found during this final week of testing....
Next iPhone will sell very well, like Samsung smartphones.
Gradually the fad will pass simply because there is no extraordinary (or even plain ordinary) leadership at Apple.
Have a specific timeline in mind Nostradamus? I mean, you could make any open ended prediction which will eventually come true. Like someone in 2003 predicting the iPod would stop being Apple's most popular product "someday".
Apple's USP is not the hardware, it's the software with an easy to use UI and integrated App/iTunes Store making it simple to purchase everything from songs to apps to books to games.
I agree with you in spirit, but I actually think Apple has some pretty nice hardware too. Their custom SoC's, which they don't *have* to make, have tended to raise the bar for the rest of the industry almost every year since the A5.
LOL.
I base my predictions on the following:
1) Soldered RAM - to cause premature obsolescence to keep sales from declining.
2) GUI that is out of control - attention to detail and perfection is gone
3) Bad releases - buggy updates and constant upgrades that bring limited value but destroy perfect things that should have been left alone.
4) Neglected base - 2015 MacMini that is slower than it was 3 years ago. Showcase software (Aperture and Final Cut) abandoned. A Mac Pro impractical format for real business. Server grade hardware and software nonexistent.
5) Stupid acquisitions - Beats, over-the-top new campuses - Spending their inheritance
1) I thought we were talking about the iPhone? But Apple isn't the only one doing soldered RAM in the types of machines Apple is (ultra thin laptops for example). All you have to do anyway is buy the maximum amount. But it costs more? Well Apple has never had a problem charging more and it seems more people, not less, are willing to pay as time goes on...
2) Personal preference. I'll bet you'll find the vast majority of people aren't that concerned with "skeumorphism" or "flat ui" and sit in front of their computer with a magnifying glass.
3) I'll give you that, they had some buggy releases recently... Not sure how that's any different from the Jobs era, though.
4) The 2015 Mac Mini has a slower cpu, but much faster I/O. heh, it actually makes a *better* little server in a lot of ways just because of that. Where was Final Cut abandoned? And why is the Mac Pro "impractical" for "real business"? You have to be more specific than that or it's meaningless.
5) "Spending their inheritance" are you implying they're burning through their cash? Because the total amount keeps increasing every year. They're incredibly thrifty with their money it seems except when it comes to securing huge supplies of "stuff" for their products (ram, displays, etc).
What I am saying is that a large screen is the only thing left to do to an iPhone that has not evolved for 3 years.
The competitive edge is gone, and soon the iPhone will be left to fend for itself. I don't expect anything more from Cook/Ives.
Camera Upgrade? VR? HomeKit + TouchID integration? Ocular tracking? Inductive Charging? Improved AI? Gaming hardware support? OS synthesis?
Just because your design vision is limited does not mean there isn't any more competitive opportunities for the iPhone.
Have a specific timeline in mind Nostradamus? I mean, you could make any open ended prediction which will eventually come true. Like someone in 2003 predicting the iPod would stop being Apple's most popular product "someday".
LOL.
I base my predictions on the following:
1) Soldered RAM - to cause premature obsolescence to keep sales from declining.
2) GUI that is out of control - attention to detail and perfection is gone
3) Bad releases - buggy updates and constant upgrades that bring limited value but destroy perfect things that should have been left alone.
4) Neglected base - 2015 MacMini that is slower than it was 3 years ago. Showcase software (Aperture and Final Cut) abandoned. A Mac Pro impractical format for real business. Server grade hardware and software nonexistent.
5) Stupid acquisitions - Beats, over-the-top new campuses - Spending their inheritance
Look, you want an acid test for how good Cook is going to be? Look at the attention to detail with respect to UI elements if there is in fact a stylus on this new convertible device and how well it fits into the rest of the iOS functionality. That will be 100% something that Steve would make sure is executed not just successfully, but _best in the marketplace_
