Apple's July–September revenue tops forecasts, while China revenue falls short of expectations

[Financial News] Revenue at U.S.-based Apple Inc. for the July–September quarter topped market forecasts, buoyed by strong sales of the iPhone 18 series. However, revenue in China fell short of expectations.
According to U.S. business magazine Fortune, Apple said in an earnings report released on the 2nd (local time) that revenue for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2026 (July–September) was $114.48 billion (about 154.09 trillion won), up 12% from $102.5 billion in the same period a year earlier. This beat the market forecast of $113.39 billion compiled by U.K. financial information provider London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG). Earnings per share (EPS) came to $2.10.
iPhone revenue was $57.58 billion (about 77.5026 trillion won), exceeding the market forecast of $56.54 billion. Strong sales of the new iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max drove the results.
Notably, the results for this quarter included only eight days' worth of sales of the iPhone 18 Pro series. The new flagship product, iPhone Duo, launched after the quarter ended and was not included in these results.
Apple CEO John Ternus stressed in a written statement that day, “We have yet to unveil Apple's new products,” adding, “We are going to have a great holiday season with the new Siri artificial intelligence (AI).”
Apple's revenue in Greater China (including mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan), reported that day, was $17.54 billion (about 23.6088 trillion won), about $1.21 billion below the market forecast of $18.75 billion.
iPad revenue also fell short of market expectations. Services revenue was nearly in line with forecasts, but did not allay concerns about slowing growth.
These are the first quarterly results announced by Ternus since he became CEO on September 1, succeeding Tim Cook. Ternus is expected to outline the outlook for Apple's China business, its AI software strategy, and its response to memory chip supply shortages during an earnings presentation scheduled for 7 a.m. on the 3rd, Korea time.
 
[email protected] Park Jong-won Reporter