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Friday, November 3, 2017

Apple Sees Strong Holiday Sales

Apple Inc on Thursday reported better-than-expected earnings and offered a rosy forecast for the holiday shopping season, allaying investor concerns about production delays on the new iPhone X and demonstrating remarkable strength across its growing line of products and services.

The stellar earnings report came just as the iPhone X went on sale Friday morning in Australia. Long lines were forming at Apple stores around the world, recalling the consumer frenzy that greeted early versions of the iPhone, but had faded with more recent launches.

With supplies potentially tight, some Australian purchasers were already planning to sell their phones for as much as A$3,000, nearly double the A$1,579 selling price.

Apple shares rose 4 percent in after-hours trading to hit an all-time high, with analysts lavishing praise on Apple CEO Tim Cook and speculating on when Apple might become the first public company worth a trillion dollars.

The earnings demonstrate how Apple is able to drive growth across an ever-expanding product line that now includes five different iPhone models along with the iPad, the Mac, the Apple Watch and a suite of fast-growing services offerings.

“We had good success, I would say, through the different iPhones,” Cook said on a call with analysts. “We tried hard to have an iPhone that is as affordable as possible for people that really want an iPhone, but may have a more limited budget.”


Trading Nation: Buy Apple into earnings? from CNBC.


Meanwhile, more than 300 Apple iPhone X units were stolen from a UPS truck in San Francisco before the newest model was launched for sale, multiple outlets reported.

The thieves, who have yet to be caught, broke into the truck while its driver had been making a delivery at the Stonestown Galleria shopping mall in San Francisco, according to CBS SF Bay Area. With the iPhone X retailing at between $999 and $1,150 in the U.S., the value of the stolen goods would have amounted to at least about $300,000.

The iPhone X was launched for sale on Friday in more than 50 markets, including the U.S., China and the U.K. Thousands had formed snaking queues outside Apple stores around the world in the lead up to the launch.

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