Tim Cook estimates iPhone revenue would have grown “absent the supply constraints”, currency fluctuations were a challenge, and that layoffs are a “last resort”
Wall Street JournalAaron Tilley
Context & Ripple Effects
Apple had previously said parts shortages were easing while it became more deliberate in hiring, so Cook's comments mark a shift from an improving-supply outlook to constraints as a material drag on iPhone results. The same explanation reappears in later coverage of advanced-chip supply limits, while subsequent reporting ties higher component costs to Apple price increases.
First-order effects
Apple attributes weaker reported iPhone revenue to unavailable supply and currency movements rather than solely to demand, sharpening the operational focus on obtaining constrained parts.
Cook's characterization of layoffs as a last resort signals that Apple is not presenting workforce reductions as its immediate response to the revenue pressure.
Second-order effects
Recurring supply constraints leave Apple exposed to component availability even when iPhone demand is strong, as the later advanced-chip reports indicate.
Pressure on component inputs can move from availability into pricing: later coverage says Apple viewed price increases as necessary amid rising memory and storage costs.
Third-order effects
If supply bottlenecks repeatedly limit iPhone sales, Apple’s revenue trajectory becomes more dependent on semiconductor capacity cycles than on demand alone.
The pattern points to a consumer-device market in which manufacturers manage supply shocks through hiring restraint and, when component costs rise, product pricing rather than assuming shortages will quickly clear.
The trend: iPhone performance is increasingly shaped by capacity lags in critical components, with supply pressure later extending into device pricing.
Big *mobile sales* declines across the board. @apple is weathering this year's tech slump better than most, imo. There are things I wish Apple would generally do better or differently, but the problem in this instance isn't Apple. Those Wall Street estimates were wrong. https://t…
$AAPL has only missed 3 out of the almost 60 quarters I've followed the company. I'm happy to report, despite the shortfall, the core business is intact. The reason; Apple's customer base remains in love with and loyal to their products.
Apple had the roughest time of the big techs with revenue down -5%. iPhone revenue was -8% while Mac was -30% mirroring steep decline in PC market seen in Microsoft & Intel earnings. Despite all the red, Tim Cook implied layoffs are a last resort. https://arstechnica.com/...
AMZN, GOOGL, AAPL all out with crappy reports, but AAPL likely most important. “The quarter was a stunning miss by Apple, and its first earnings miss versus consensus expectations in almost seven years.” CC will be key with supply shortage excuse no longer https://www.cnbc.com/..…
Apple revenue down -5% year over year (iPhone -8%), Microsoft up only +2% (Windows & Devices -39%) and Google ads revenue down -4% (overall revenue +1%) shows that while big tech did have a hard year in 2022 there was little correlation between revenue woes and layoffs.
Tim Cook on whether layoffs will happen at Apple: “I view layoffs as a last resort kind of thing,” Mr. Cook said. “You can never say never. We want to manage costs in other ways to the degree that we can.” https://www.wsj.com/...
This is a confident Cook on the conf call. Macro remains uncertain but December was a supply chain China situation as we discussed. March iPhone commentary positive and will be a focus of the Street. Teflon like is Cupertino despite macro storm clouds.
With the China supply chain lockdown a disaster for Apple in the holiday quarter we view these overall Dec numbers as much better than worst case Street whisper numbers. It's all about March guide for Cupertino as Services beat and golden installed base the key in this macro..
Apple is expected to say its sales fell 2% in the December quarter, as the iPhone maker contended with manufacturing disruptions in China https://www.wsj.com/...