Apple reported third-quarter earnings of $8.47bn (£5.24bn), a 13% rise from the same period a year earlier, beating analysts’ expectations.
Profits at the technology giant were helped by sales of its new iPhone 6 models, which were on sale for ten days during the three-month period ending 30 September.
Total iPhone sales numbered 39.3m.
However sales of Apple’s iPad disappointed, with 12.3m sold, down from 13.1m a year earlier.
“Our fiscal 2014 was one for the record books, including the biggest iPhone launch ever with iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus,” said Apple chief executive Tim Cook in a statement accompanying the earnings report. He added that he was optimistic for the crucial holiday quarter coming up.
Apple shares rose over 2% in after-hours trading after the earnings were released.
Pay for the future
The earnings were announced on the same day that Apple introduced its digital payment system, Apple Pay, at a host of US retailers including supermarket chain Whole Foods and pharmacy Walgreens.
Some analysts believe that alongside iPhone sales, Apple Pay could be one of the biggest drivers of revenue growth at the company in coming years.
The technology works by allowing users to scan their fingerprint using an iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus to access stored credit information to pay for goods at participating retailers.
However, while analysts are optimistic about ApplePay’s potential, only a few stores are currently equipped to use the technology – and several large retailers, most notably Wal-Mart, have yet to sign on to the service.
Furthermore, the technology is only available on the newest model of iPhones.
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