apple-christmas-hatApple today forecasted between $76 billion and $78 billion in revenue for the first quarter of the 2017 fiscal year, reflecting a three-month period between September and December, signaling the company's return to growth in the upcoming holiday shopping season.

Apple's lower-end guidance of $76 billion would be enough to eclipse the $75.9 billion in revenue it reported in the year-ago period, putting an end to the company's downturn after its first annual revenue decline since 2001 and three consecutive quarters of negative growth.

Apple's decline through the first nine months of 2016 was in line with the iPhone's first-ever drop in sales, while iPad and Mac sales also shrunk during the year. However, the strength of the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, alongside Apple's growing services category, should help reverse that trend over the next three months. In the quarter just ended, Apple's revenue from services like the App Store, Apple Music, and iCloud grew 24% to an all-time record of $6.3 billion.

Top Rated Comments

Traverse Avatar
119 months ago
Love the picture! :P

I can't stand investors and analysts. A company can't grow into perpetuity. They want year over year revenue and market growth forever. That isn't sustainable. I think $9 Billion is pretty incredible.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ghost187 Avatar
119 months ago
Tim Cook: Couldn't have done it without you Sammy!
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Keane16 Avatar
119 months ago
It just makes sense if a company has a means to grow then why not pursue it instead of simply coasting like Apple is doing.
This has been a theme for Apple for a long, long time. Somebody posted a link to the original iPod reveal thread ('https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/apples-new-thing-ipod.500/') the other day when the 15th Anniversary came around. There were so many comments echoing this sentiment - Apple should do this, Apple should do that. And here we are in 2016 and people still parrot it.

Apple has had the means or the cash to get into other businesses. No one at Apple is willing to take any risk so they keep doing the same thing over and over.
Off the top of my head in the last 4/5 years they've added:

* Smartwatches
* Headphones
* Music streaming
* Maps
* iCloud being the backbone of their devices
* Health with Health app and associated ResearchKit and CareKit
* Home automation with HomeKit & Home app
* Payments with Apple Pay
* AI whilst maintaining privacy
* Underlying changes - with Swift as the language and then upcoming Apple File System

Besides that's what's been shown. Tim Cook has mentioned the importance of AR/VR, there are rumours of car research, TV deals etc. it amazes me you think they're doing the same thing over and over. I'd take another look.

It's also one of the fun parts of following Apple, whilst most of the other tech companies preview in public, Apple usually just releases their consumer version out to the public (often with lots of rumours and internet hype). So, many people like yourself wrongly think they're "coasting" as we don't see anything official until the reveal.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Three141 Avatar
119 months ago
I wonder if we will ever get to the point where Apple earning let's say 60 billion in revenue will not be seen as a negative.

That thought aside, sounds like they are expecting some good sales from the revised laptops and maybe even a planned surprise upgrade to one or all of their desktops?
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Carlanga Avatar
119 months ago
No contract pricing on phones it equals less sales for full price even in payment plans. Lately there has been a lot of offers for a free upgrade of devices which leds me to believe it might be the reason for the better sales of the iPhone 7.

I read somewhere else that smartwatch es are tanking as a market. Apple must be worried since I haven't heard about new bands like previous year.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
macduke Avatar
119 months ago
I am not ready to see a santa hat. Where has the last year gone?
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iOS 26

When Will Apple Release iOS 26.2?

Monday December 1, 2025 4:37 pm PST by
We're getting closer to the launch of the final major iOS update of the year, with Apple set to release iOS 26.2 in December. We've had three betas so far and are expecting a fourth beta or a release candidate this week, so a launch could follow as soon as next week. Past Launch Dates Apple's past iOS x.2 updates from the last few years have all happened right around the middle of the...
ios 18 to ios 26 upgrade

Apple Pushes iPhone Users Still on iOS 18 to Upgrade to iOS 26

Tuesday December 2, 2025 11:09 am PST by
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...
maxresdefault

iPhone Fold: Launch, Pricing, and What to Expect From Apple's Foldable

Monday December 1, 2025 3:00 am PST by
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 ...
iOS 26

Apple Seeds iOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2 Release Candidates to Developers and Public Beta Testers

Wednesday December 3, 2025 10:33 am PST by
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....
Photos App Icon Liquid Glass

John Gruber Shares Scathing Commentary About Apple's Departing Software Design Chief

Thursday December 4, 2025 9:30 am PST by
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,...
iphone 17 cyber

iPhone 17 Demand Is Breaking Apple's Sales Records

Tuesday December 2, 2025 9:44 am PST by
Apple's iPhone 17 lineup is selling well enough that Apple is on track to ship more than 247.4 million total iPhones in 2025, according to a new report from IDC. Total 2025 shipments are forecast to grow 6.1 percent year over year due to iPhone 17 demand and increased sales in China, a major market for Apple. Overall worldwide smartphone shipments across Android and iOS are forecast to...
Touchscreen MacBook Feature

Here Are the Four MacBooks Apple Is Expected to Launch Next Year

Monday December 1, 2025 5:00 am PST by
2026 could be a bumper year for Apple's Mac lineup, with the company expected to announce as many as four separate MacBook launches. Rumors suggest Apple will court both ends of the consumer spectrum, with more affordable options for students and feature-rich premium lines for users that seek the highest specifications from a laptop. Below is a breakdown of what we're expecting over the next ...
iphone air camera

iPhone Air's Resale Value Has Dropped Dramatically, Data Shows

Thursday December 4, 2025 5:27 am PST by
The iPhone Air has recorded the steepest early resale value drop of any iPhone model in years, with new data showing that several configurations have lost almost 50% of their value within ten weeks of launch. According to a ten-week analysis published by SellCell, Apple's latest lineup is showing a pronounced split in resale performance between the iPhone 17 models and the iPhone Air....
iPhone 17 Pro Cosmic Orange

iPhone 17 Pro Lost a Camera Feature Pro Models Have Had Since 2020

Thursday December 4, 2025 5:18 am PST by
iPhone 17 Pro models, it turns out, can't take photos in Night mode when Portrait mode is selected in the Camera app – a capability that's been available on Apple's Pro devices since the iPhone 12 Pro in 2020. If you're an iPhone 17 Pro or iPhone 17 Pro Max owner, try it for yourself: Open the Camera app with Photo selected in the carousel, then cover the rear lenses with your hand to...
iPhone 17 Pro Cosmic Orange

10 Reasons to Wait for Next Year's iPhone 18 Pro

Monday December 1, 2025 2:40 am PST by
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...