Apple alcanza ingresos récord pese a la escasez mundial de chips APPLE HITS REVENUE RECORD DESPITE CHIP SHORTAGE
Apple anunció que sus ingresos en el cuarto trimestre alcanzaron el récord de 124.000 millones de dólares a fines del año pasado en medio de la escasez mundial de chips.
Esas ventas sin precedentes le reportaron ganancias de 34.600 millones de dólares contra 28.700 millones en el mismo trimestre del año anterior, según su informe de resultados.
El coloso de Silicon Valley se disparó durante la pandemia a medida que los usuarios confiaban en sus productos y servicios. En ese momento la escasez de chips, los problemas en la cadena de suministro y los impactos de la crisis sanitaria generaron incertidumbre, así que los usuarios comenzaron a confiar en Apple.
«Nos gratifica ver la respuesta de los clientes de todo el mundo. En estos momentos estar conectados es más importante que nunca«, dijo el jefe de Apple Tim Cook en un comunicado.
Las ventas de teléfonos inteligentes de la compañía de la manzana superaron los 71.000 millones de dólares. Las ventas estuvieron impulsadas por la fuerte demanda de los iphone 13, especialmente en China.
A pesar de la volatilidad del mercado, Apple se convirtió en el 3 de enero en la primera empresa estadounidense en alcanzar fugazmente un valor de mercado de 3 billones de dólares.
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SAN FRANCISCO, United States Apple reported record $124 billion quarterly revenue, despite a global chip pinch and shifting impacts of the pandemic that have weighed down other big tech players.
The expectations-beating results offered signals that the coronavirusera tech boom may not be quite over yet, even as diminishing growth shadows firms like lockdown lifestyle champ Netflix.
"We set all time records for both developed and emerging markets and saw revenue growth across all of our product categories except for ipad, which we said would be supply-constrained," CEO Tim Cook told analysts.
Smartphone sales topped $71 billion, buoyed by strong demand for the iphone 13 line, especially in China.
Overall, the tech giant posted a net profit of $34.6 billion in its first quarter, compared with $28.7 billion in the same quarter the prior year, according to the earnings report.
The supply chain mess that has disrupted the making and delivery of products to consumers is not disappearing, but Apple said it expected less impact in the coming months.
"There's some encouraging signs there," Cook added.
The semiconductor drought -caused by a mix of factors including a surge in demand after the Covid-19 pandemic and virus-linked disruptions in chipmaking nations -- has affected industries across the globe from tech giants to car makers.
"It's worth noting that Apple is known for its supply-chain prowess and many wonder about the actions Apple has taken and will take to better position itself for this calendar year and to what extent these could hurt margins," said Scott Kessler from Third Bridge analysts.
Despite the volatility of the moment, Apple became the first US company to hit $3 trillion in market value, briefly reaching the landmark in early January in the latest demonstration of the tech industry's pandemic power.
LOCKDOWN LIVING
But tensions between the Washington and Beijing as well as the Ukraine crisis have since added to the market's jitters, with wide swings in recent days.
At the same time, one-time pandemic market darlings have sunk on the prospect of diminishing growth as people are anxious to get back to something closer to pre-virus activity outside their homes.
Netflix lost tens of billions of dollars in market capitalization last week after projecting growth of just 2.5 million subscribers in the first quarter -- its slowest expansion since 2010 and a big downshift from the 55 million subscribers over the last two years as Covid-19 transformed daily life.
Yet in a sign of Apple's continuing capacity to sell a lot of handsets, it reclaimed top smartphone seller honors in China after a six-year gap, clocking a record market share in the final quarter of 2021 as US sanctions hit rival Huawei.
A surge in sales saw the iphone maker account for 23 percent of the highly competitive market in October-december, industry analysis firm Counterpoint said in a report released Wednesday.
That put the US giant in pole position for the first time since the final three months of 2015, toppling China's Vivo.
The App Store posted record quarterly revenue as well as Apple took in more than $19 billion from selling services and software to users of its coveted devices.
Banner revenue at the App Store comes as Apple defends itself against accusations that its control over the online shop amounts to a monopoly.
AFP