Apple's Earnings Shine with Soaring iPhone Sales
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: Feb 12 2026
0mins
Should l Buy AAPL?
Source: Fool
- Surging iPhone Sales: Apple's fiscal Q1 2026 report reveals a remarkable 23% year-over-year increase in iPhone sales, indicating strong user loyalty and robust global demand, despite supply constraints, allowing Apple to maintain its competitive edge in the market.
- Rising Cost Pressures: While Apple achieved a gross margin of 48.2% in Q1, management anticipates a margin between 48% and 49% for Q2; however, significant increases in memory prices may pose future cost pressures that could impact profitability.
- Significant AI Progress: Apple has made strong strides in artificial intelligence, with CEO Tim Cook highlighting user enjoyment of visual AI features on the iPhone, such as live translation and quick searches, showcasing Apple's potential in AI integration.
- Collaboration with Alphabet: Apple announced a partnership with Alphabet to leverage its large language models to enhance its AI platform, with plans to launch an upgraded Siri later this year, further increasing the value of its devices and ecosystem.
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Analyst Views on AAPL
Wall Street analysts forecast AAPL stock price to rise
27 Analyst Rating
17 Buy
9 Hold
1 Sell
Moderate Buy
Current: 255.630
Low
239.00
Averages
306.89
High
350.00
Current: 255.630
Low
239.00
Averages
306.89
High
350.00
About AAPL
Apple Inc. designs, manufactures and markets smartphones, personal computers, tablets, wearables and accessories, and sells a variety of related services. Its product categories include iPhone, Mac, iPad, and Wearables, Home and Accessories. Its software platforms include iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, visionOS, and tvOS. Its services include advertising, AppleCare, cloud services, digital content and payment services. The Company operates various platforms, including the App Store, that allow customers to discover and download applications and digital content, such as books, music, video, games and podcasts. It also offers digital content through subscription-based services, including Apple Arcade, Apple Fitness+, Apple Music, Apple News+, and Apple TV+. Its products include iPhone 16 Pro, iPhone 16, iPhone 15, iPhone 14, iPhone SE, MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iMac, Mac mini, Mac Studio, Mac Pro, iPad Pro, iPad Air, AirPods, AirPods Pro, AirPods Max, Apple TV, Apple Vision Pro and others.
About the author
Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
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- Apple's Potential Win: Google's breakthrough could enable Apple to achieve more robust on-device AI processing in its iPhones, potentially driving an upgrade cycle, particularly with the anticipated new Siri features.
- Long-Term Outlook: While the memory chip market faces short-term challenges, Google's advancements may foster further development of AI algorithms, suggesting that changes in memory demand may not significantly impact the market in the long run.
See More
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- Market Reaction: Following this news, shares of leading U.S. memory chipmaker Micron and its Korean competitors SK Hynix and Samsung fell, as the market fears that memory demand growth may slow down.
- Apple as a Potential Beneficiary: Google's breakthrough could enable Apple to implement more on-device AI processing on its iPhones, addressing data privacy concerns and potentially driving an upgrade cycle, with nearly 1 billion iPhones expected to be incapable of running Apple Intelligence by the end of 2025.
- Long-term Impact Assessment: While improvements in memory efficiency may significantly affect AI models used in consumer devices, their impact on the most advanced frontier models is limited, prompting investors to view the cyclical nature of the memory chip market with caution.
See More
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