Apple capped off its “most successful year ever” with a stronger than expected final quarter, driven largely by rising iPhone and Mac revenue.
Unveiled by Cupertino overnight, the tech giant’s revenue rose 22 percent from a year earlier to US$51.5 billion during the final quarter of the year ending September 30, with quarterly profit figures reaching US$11.1 billion.
Such growth was fuelled by record fourth quarter sales of iPhone, the expanded availability of Apple Watch, and all-time records for Mac sales and revenue from services.
“Fiscal 2015 was Apple’s most successful year ever, with revenue growing 28 percent to nearly US$234 billion,” says Tim Cook, CEO, Apple.
“This continued success is the result of our commitment to making the best, most innovative products on earth, and it’s a testament to the tremendous execution by our teams.
“We are heading into the holidays with our strongest product lineup yet, including iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus, Apple Watch with an expanded lineup of cases and bands, the new iPad Pro and the all-new Apple TV which begins shipping this week.”
Devices
During the quarter, the world’s largest company shifted over 48.05 million iPhones, up almost 39.3 million from the same period in 2014, with sales nearly doubling in China, Hong Kong and Taiwan.
Of the 48 million iPhones during the September quarter, figures include only two days of sales for Apple’s newest iPhone models, the 6S and 6S Plus.
In addition, Mac sales grew by three percent despite the ongoing struggles of the global PC market, while iPad sales fell - with Apple selling 9.9 million devices during the quarter, down 20 percent from the same period in 2014.
Going forward, Apple is providing guidance of revenue between US$75.5 billion and US$77.5 billion for its fiscal 2016 first quarter, with gross margin expected to be between 39 percent and 40 percent.
“Apple’s record September quarter results drove earnings per share growth of 38 percent and operating cash flow of $13.5 billion,” adds Luca Maestri, CFO, Apple.
“We returned US$17 billion to our investors during the quarter through share repurchases and dividends, and we have now completed over US$143 billion of our US$200 billion capital return program.”