A chill on Apple’s fortunes may be abating

On the face of it, the last quarter was a good one for Apple. Revenue may have fallen, but not as much as feared. And with the company predicting a return to revenue growth in this quarter, it seems the cold wind that has chilled Apple’s business recently may be passing.

There was a lot to cheer shareholders. Aside from the anticipated sales growth in the current period, Apple raised its quarterly dividend for the 12th consecutive year. It also announced a $110 million share buyback, one of the biggest ever held in the US.Mac sales were up, and services also continued to grow, adding 14 per cent year-on-year.

Next week, Apple is holding a launch event where it is widely expected to unveil new iPads. And not before time, it seems. Although Apple has refreshed its line-up in recent years, revenue in the iPad sector was down in the last quarter by 17 per cent — a significant sum — showing fatigue may be setting in. The upcoming event may help reverse that decline.

All eyes will now turn to the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference event in June when the company will share its plans for future technology with developers — and AI is expected to feature strongly. Apple will be keen to prove it has not fallen behind its rivals in innovation.

Ireland Latest News, Ireland Headlines

Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.

Amazon, Google and Microsoft warn State will lose out over data centre plansSeen and Heard: Debt warehousing deadline, Intel grants credits, Budget tax hints, Clerys developer refinancing
Source: IrishTimes - 🏆 3. / 98 Read more »

Microsoft to invest $1.5bn in Abu Dhabi AI group G42Agreement is latest move by US tech group to extend its reach into fast-growing sector
Source: IrishTimesBiz - 🏆 6. / 77 Read more »

Microsoft sales and profit beat expectations on robust AI demandThird quarter revenue rose 17% to €57.7 billion, pushing shares up about 6% in late trading
Source: IrishTimes - 🏆 3. / 98 Read more »

Microsoft results top targets, driven by AI investmentMicrosoft has beaten Wall Street estimates for third-quarter revenue and profit driven by gains from adoption of artificial intelligence across its cloud services.
Source: RTEbusiness - 🏆 16. / 61 Read more »

Microsoft Ireland launches girls in STEM eventMicrosoft Ireland has announced details of a live event this week designed to inspire girls to pursue careers in STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths).
Source: RTEbusiness - 🏆 16. / 61 Read more »

Microsoft announces $2.2 bn AI investment in MalaysiaMicrosoft pledged a $2.2 billion (€2 billion) investment in artificial intelligence and cloud computing in Malaysia to help develop the country's AI infrastructure.
Source: rtenews - 🏆 1. / 99 Read more »