Apple CEO Tim Cook 'Optimistic' About iPhone 12 Sales, Early Data 'Quite Good' - MacRumors
Skip to Content

Apple CEO Tim Cook 'Optimistic' About iPhone 12 Sales, Early Data 'Quite Good'

Apple's iPhone 12 lineup launched too late to be included in the Q4 earnings results being shared today, but Apple CEO Tim Cook today said in an interview with CNBC that he's "optimistic" about Apple's iPhone 12 sales because of 5G support, carrier promotions, and a loyal install base.

iphone 12 colors lineup
According to Cook, initial data points on iPhone 12 sales are "really quite good." During the earnings call, Cook went on to say that the iPhone 12 lineup is the strongest lineup that Apple has hard by far. 5G also represents a once in a decade opportunity due to the excitement around 5G technologies. "We're off to a great start," said Cook.

iPhone 12 sales will be included in Apple's Q1 2021 earnings results rather than this quarter, but Apple declined to provide guidance for Q1 2021. Cook says that Apple again declined to offer guidance due to the ongoing global health crisis leading to a "sufficient level of uncertainty" that's "not an environment to guide into."

Sales in China were down for the year, and were a weak point for Apple. Sales dropped to $7.95 billion, down from $11.13 billion in fiscal 2019. Cook said he's confident that will turn around next quarter.

A larger percentage of China revenue is made up of new iPhones. And so that's the reason the number for the total quarter started with a minus sign. But given what we see in the early going with the new iPhones, we're confident we'll grow in Q1."

Apple today reported record Q4 2020 results with $12.7 billion profit on $64.7 billion revenue, with services revenue hitting a new all time high.

Related Forum: iPhone

Popular Stories

Apple Logo Cash Feature Blue

Apple Reports 4Q 2026 Results: $30.7B Profit on $114.5B Revenue

Monday November 2, 2026 1:38 pm PST by
Apple today announced financial results for the fourth fiscal quarter of 2026, which corresponds to the third calendar quarter of the year. The quarter included a number of August and September product releases from Apple, as well as the CEO transition from Tim Cook to John Ternus that took place on September 1. For the quarter, Apple posted revenue of $114.5 billion and net quarterly profit ...
Apple Logo Cash Feature Blue

Apple's Q4 2026 Earnings Call Takeaways

Monday November 2, 2026 4:26 pm PST by
Apple held its earnings call for the fourth fiscal quarter of 2026 today, and it was Apple CEO John Ternus' first earnings call in his new role. He had Apple CFO Kevan Parekh on hand, and he brought in Chief Operating Officer Sabih Khan. The trio covered iPhone Duo sales, Siri AI, and increasing memory costs, among other topics. iPhone Duo After the earnings release, Ternus told Reuters...
John Ternus and Rainbow Countour Apple Logo

John Ternus Hosting His First Earnings Call as Apple CEO Today

Monday November 2, 2026 9:33 am PST by
John Ternus will participate in his first Apple earnings call as the company's CEO today. The call begins at 2 p.m. Pacific Time / 5 p.m. Eastern Time. Ternus and Apple's CFO Kevan Parekh will discuss the company's earnings results for the third quarter of the 2026 calendar year on the live-streamed conference call. While the call is primarily intended for Apple shareholders and Wall Street...

Top Rated Comments

79 months ago
Boosted sales of 20w usb c adapters too.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
twocents Avatar
79 months ago
Wait till full 12 lineup is available. Mini and Max will hands down win over respective target audiences. great stuff
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
I7guy Avatar
79 months ago

It's better to be humble and give a positive surprise than the other way around.
Better to overdeliver and undersell than the other way around, what you are suggesting.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
BuddyTronic Avatar
79 months ago

What happened to the unequivocal "super cycle" that analysts were forecasting? This seems like a rather lukewarm public statement from Tim.
Apple hasn't really been big on the "super cycle" talk - that's all. iPhone 6 was a real super cycle year though and the super cycle this year is real too. Late iPhone launch makes it tough to compare quarters year over year though. Apple did mention that they are 4 weeks delayed (iPhone 12 and 12 pro) and 7 weeks delayed (for iPhone 12 pro max and mini). Nevertheless, the next quarter is the big one. China is going to be buying up a lot of iPhone 12 Pro Max units. The iPhone line up has something for everybody.

The fiscal Q4 Apple just reported ended Sept 30th - that's BEFORE the new iPhone's were being sold. So there is no sales data of new model 12 iPhones in today's quarterly report - perhaps you did not realize that. So the talk of "Super Cycle" is coming in the Christmas quarter (Apple fiscal Q1). And even that quarter will present difficulties for year over year comparison, because of the delay. Get it?

Every year people make remarks that doubt they can sell iPhones, but every year has been a record revenue breaker. The iPhone super cycle this time will become apparent in several months time like the end of April!. You'll know it's happening though.

Quarterly YOY comparisons are becoming difficult. It used to be that one quarter had 2 more days in it than the other and that was enough to make a billion dollar difference in YOY (Year over year) comparisons. Now with the covid delay on the new iPhone's, it's going to take some thought to consider the truth. Analysts probably won't take that into account properly - when do the analysts ever get it right?

Attachment Image
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
79 months ago
iPhone 12 is and will sell like hot cakes.

Don’t be fooled by quarter over quarter compares that have product release timing differences. iPhone 12 wasn’t baked in at all in this quarter’s results.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
79 months ago

Better to overdeliver and undersell than the other way around, what you are suggesting.
Yep, I thought that's what I said, but perhaps I underdelivered.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Latest Stories
Apple Surveys iPhone Duo Buyers About Crease and Camera
Apple Surveys iPhone Duo Buyers About Crease and Camera
6 hours ago
Apple's First Touchscreen Mac is Now Arriving to Customers
Apple's First Touchscreen Mac is Now Arriving to Customers
7 hours ago
Claude Gets Personal Finance Feature With Bank Account Linking
Claude Gets Personal Finance Feature With Bank Account Linking
8 hours ago
Apple Arcade Adds Crossy Road Rush and NBA 2K27
Apple Arcade Adds Crossy Road Rush and NBA 2K27
8 hours ago
Apple's New HomeView Smart Home Hub: Here's How Much RAM It Has
Apple's New HomeView Smart Home Hub: Here's How Much RAM It Has
9 hours ago
iPad Mini vs. iPad Air Buyer's Guide: Now Just $50 Apart
iPad Mini vs. iPad Air Buyer's Guide: Now Just $50 Apart
10 hours ago
First iOS 27.3 and macOS Golden Gate 27.3 Public Betas Now Available
First iOS 27.3 and macOS Golden Gate 27.3 Public Betas Now Available
12 hours ago
Apple Announces a New Mac Sales Record
Apple Announces a New Mac Sales Record
12 hours ago
Paid $200 for Logic Pro? Apple Says You Won't Get This New Feature
Paid $200 for Logic Pro? Apple Says You Won't Get This New Feature
13 hours ago
Instagram's Edits Video Editor is Now Available on Mac
Instagram's Edits Video Editor is Now Available on Mac
13 hours ago
Prevent Siri and Search From Accessing Specific iPhone Apps
Prevent Siri and Search From Accessing Specific iPhone Apps
13 hours ago
Best Early Black Friday Deals on iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone Duo
Best Early Black Friday Deals on iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone Duo
15 hours ago
MacBook Pro PROLED XDR Reviews Are In: Is the Touchscreen Worth It?
MacBook Pro PROLED XDR Reviews Are In: Is the Touchscreen Worth It?
15 hours ago
Early Black Friday Accessory Deals at Amazon Include TVs, Headphones, and Charging Devices
Early Black Friday Accessory Deals at Amazon Include TVs, Headphones, and Charging Devices
16 hours ago
Apple Creator Studio App Updates Rolling Out, Starting With Logic Pro
Apple Creator Studio App Updates Rolling Out, Starting With Logic Pro
16 hours ago
Siri AI Waitlist Now Limited to Times of 'High Demand,' Says Apple
Siri AI Waitlist Now Limited to Times of 'High Demand,' Says Apple
18 hours ago
See Apple's Touchscreen MacBook Pro in Action
See Apple's Touchscreen MacBook Pro in Action
18 hours ago
MacBook Neo Shipments Expected to Double in 2027
MacBook Neo Shipments Expected to Double in 2027
18 hours ago
HomeView Code Suggests Future Support for AI Chatbot Apps, Anti-Spoofing Protection
HomeView Code Suggests Future Support for AI Chatbot Apps, Anti-Spoofing Protection
19 hours ago
Got an iPhone Duo on Launch Day? Tomorrow Could Be Your Last Chance to Return It
Got an iPhone Duo on Launch Day? Tomorrow Could Be Your Last Chance to Return It
20 hours ago
Apple Launching Five New Products Tomorrow
Apple Launching Five New Products Tomorrow
22 hours ago
Apple Releases Safari Technology Preview 256 With Bug Fixes and Performance Improvements
Apple Releases Safari Technology Preview 256 With Bug Fixes and Performance Improvements
1 day ago
Apps Can Now Try to Stop You From Canceling Subscriptions
Apps Can Now Try to Stop You From Canceling Subscriptions
1 day ago
'Super Mario Odyssey' Can Now Run on Apple TV Thanks to AI
'Super Mario Odyssey' Can Now Run on Apple TV Thanks to AI
1 day ago
How 'Resident Evil' Director Zach Cregger Uses His iPhone to Make Movies
How 'Resident Evil' Director Zach Cregger Uses His iPhone to Make Movies
1 day ago
HomePod Mini 2's Amount of RAM Confirmed
HomePod Mini 2's Amount of RAM Confirmed
1 day ago
Apple TV's '12 Days of Snoopy' Special Arrives November 13
Apple TV's '12 Days of Snoopy' Special Arrives November 13
1 day ago
Apple is Putting Employees on an AI Budget
Apple is Putting Employees on an AI Budget
1 day ago
Apple Releases Xcode 27.3 Beta With Three New Features
Apple Releases Xcode 27.3 Beta With Three New Features
1 day ago
Apple Will Check Public iCloud Links for Harmful Content Starting in iOS 27.3
Apple Will Check Public iCloud Links for Harmful Content Starting in iOS 27.3
1 day ago