Apple CEO John Ternus is set to host his first earnings call in the role on Nov. 2. Investors will be watching the holiday-quarter forecast for signs that new products can help offset rising memory-chip costs, Reuters reporters Aditya Soni and Stephen Nellis report. Ternus succeeded Tim Cook in September.
The results will cover July through September, before Apple's foldable iPhone Duo went on sale Oct. 23. Reuters reports that the period will include just nine days of sales of the new iPhone 18 Pro models. Analysts expect revenue to rise nearly 11% to $113.39 billion and net profit to rise about 6% to $29.04 billion, according to LSEG data cited by Reuters. Analysts expect higher memory costs to drag quarterly profit growth to its weakest in six quarters.
The Duo's launch leaves its sales outside the quarter being reported, making Apple's outlook the place to watch for its potential impact. MarketWatch reporter Bill Peters quotes D.A. Davidson analyst Gil Luria as saying the foldable phone could lift future sales but will not affect the upcoming results. Reuters reports that Ternus has also overseen the introduction of a smart-home hub and Apple's first touch-screen laptops; like the Duo, both began shipping in the current fiscal first quarter. Whether those products can help offset higher chip costs remains a question for the forecast, not a conclusion from the July-September results.
