After a disappointing end to 2013, Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s latest earnings report was a vast improvement. Although Apple’s sales figures had actually been pretty encouraging during the previous quarter, the city was sceptical that Apple could achieve growth in the near future at least.
Apple exceeds earnings predictions
Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) will be delighted then that it has defied such predictions to record some very encouraging fiscal figures for the second fiscal quarter of the 2014 calendar year. In virtually every category, Apple exceeded expectations, with revenue totalling $45.6 billion greater even that its own estimates. Meanwhile, while Wall Street anticipated that Apple would sell around 37.7 million iPhone handsets, Apple was able to blow this out of the water and shift 43.7 million units of their flagship smartphone during the quarter.
This above par performance was manna from heaven for Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s share price, which shot upwards as a result, almost neutralizing any losses incurred by the company’s disappointing showing last time out.
The success has led some analysts to speculate that Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s stock may rise further and top the $600 mark for the first time in due course.
So with Apple having addressed its short-term concerns, attention will inevitably turn to the forthcoming iPhone 6. While Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) can gain some comfort from the fact that its existing iPhone are still selling extremely well, it will nevertheless be looking for something truly paradigm shifting when the new smartphone is ushered out into the world to an expectant public.
We already know that Apple is likely to change the construction of the iPhone 6 to Sapphire glass in an attempt to make the device more durable. This has been gleaned from supplier chain information which indicates that Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) has already bought up vast amounts of Sapphire glass in order to replace the Gorilla Glass which has been utilized in previous iPhones.
iPhone 6 to be delayed?
Aside from that there have been a few pieces of breaking news today which give further indication how the iPhone 6 might turn out. Firstly, the Indian publication Business Today suggested that Apple may delay the iPhone 6 owning to its desire to fit a slimmer battery within the device. This clashes with previous assumptions that the iPhone 6 may be released earlier in the calendar year that previous iPhone models.
However, it corresponds with another report which suggests that the precise dimensions of the iPhone are already known. Business Insider documented this leak, originally reported by Nowhereelse.fr, which indicates that the iPhone 6 will measure 5.4 x 2.6 x 0.25 inches. This would mean that the screen may be slightly smaller than the 5.5-inch screen which has been mooted previously, but nevertheless promises an absolutely wafer-thin iPhone.
But will the iPhone 6 feature a curved screen? The Hindustan Times suggests today that it will. This assertion apparently emanated from a Japanese website, but it would fit into the general trend which is now being pushed forward in television sets, as pioneered by Apple’s major rival Samsung.
It will be some time until the iPhone 6 comes to market, but as Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) has now bought itself some crawl space it will be intriguing to see what it comes up with in the months ahead.
