The iPhone's Future, Prince and Streaming Music - TMO Daily Observations 2017-02-01

Apple made truck loads of money during its first fiscal quarter for 2017, but that wasn’t the only news from yesterday’s earning report. John Martellaro and Kelly Guimont join Jeff Gamet to share their thoughts on Tim Cook saying the iPhone hasn’t reached maturity yet, plus they look at the news that Prince’s music is coming to Apple Music.

Apple Cash Hoard Tops $246 Billion, Enough to Buy 4.9 Billion Amazon Echo Dots

Apple’s cash hoard swelled to a staggering $246.09 billion in the December quarter, an increase of $8.49 billion. This, despite returning some $15 billion to shareholders in the form of stock buybacks and dividends. It’s an unprecedented concentration of corporate wealth that would let Apple buy more than 4.9 billion Amazon Echo Dots if it wanted.

Apple Beats Guidance with Q4 Earnings, Guides Q4 Above Consensus

Apple reported fiscal fourth quarter revenues of US$46.9 billion with earnings of $9 billion on Tuesday. Earnings per share were $1.67. Those results are down year over year from revenues of $51.5 billion, earnings of $11.1 billion, and EPS of $1.96. Gross margins were 38%, down year-over-year from 39.9%. Apple beat consensus estimates on EPS and guided Q4 revenues higher than consensus.

AAPL Q3 Earnings Report Set for Tuesday Afternoon

Apple’s 2016 third fiscal quarter earnings report is scheduled to start this afternoon after the market closes. This quarter will include iPhone SE sales, and analysts will be watching closely to see if the company’s smartphone numbers show a year-over-year decline for a second quarter. The Mac Observer will be here to bring you the latest news and analysis from the event, so be sure to follow along with us this afternoon.