Skip to Content

Apple Signals Return to Growth This Holiday Season After 9-Month Slide

by

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
122 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
122 months ago
Tim Cook: Couldn't have done it without you Sammy!
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Keane16 Avatar
122 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
122 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
122 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
122 months ago
I am not ready to see a santa hat. Where has the last year gone?
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iphone fold text

iPhone Fold Crease Measurements Revealed as Device Hits Production

Wednesday February 25, 2026 5:37 am PST by
Apple has submitted production line orders for its upcoming foldable iPhone, effectively confirming that the device will launch this year, claims a Chinese leaker. According to the Weibo account "Fixed Focus Digital," assembly lines recently received the orders from Apple, which has apparently allowed the leaker to learn the crease measurements for the device's 7.8-inch inner display....
Low Cost A18 Pro MacBook Feature Pink

Leaker Says Apple's Lower-Cost MacBook Will Have These 8 Limitations

Wednesday February 25, 2026 9:25 am PST by
Apple is expected to unveil its long-rumored lower-cost MacBook next week. Given it will be more affordable, this MacBook model will obviously have some reduced specs and compromises compared to the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro. While we are still waiting for Apple to announce the new MacBook, a leaker has shared eight alleged limitations to expect, based on an internal version of Apple's...
m3 macbook pro blue

M5 Pro and M5 Max MacBook Pro: What to Expect

Wednesday February 25, 2026 3:02 pm PST by
Apple is working on a new MacBook Pro that could launch next week ahead of the "Special Experience" planned for March 4, so we thought we'd highlight all of the rumors about the device so far. Design There are no rumors of design changes, and we are expecting the upcoming M5 MacBook Pro models to look just like the M4 versions. Apple will continue to offer 14-inch and 16-inch size options,...