Apple today released its Q3 2013 earnings report, announcing 31 million iPhones sold in the three-month period ending June, along with 14.6 million iPad units sold. Both the iPhone and iPad sales are down from the previous quarter, but this marks the first time the iPad has seen a yearly decline in sales, a 14 percent decrease YOY.
Analysts expected Apple to sell 27 million iPhones, 18 million iPads, 3.85 million Macs, and 4.9 million iPods this quarter.
Last quarter, Apple showed a slight drop in sales from the previous record-breaking quarter with 37.4 million iPhones and 19.5 million iPads sold.
This quarter’s 31 million iPhones represent a quarterly loss of 21 percent, while still being up 20 from the same quarter last year. However, the iPad is down 25 percent sequentially and is down 14 percent from last year.
Interestingly, the average selling price for the iPhone has decreased from $613 last quarter to around $580 this year, perhaps marking that cloud innovation has required users to purchase less capacity, but more likely pointing toward the near ubiquity of smartphones.
When everyone owns a smartphone, as opposed to early adopters and tech fanatics, the lower-end model becomes a more attractive option in terms of pricing, especially with aggressive promotions from carriers.
The drop in iPad and iPhone sales quarterly can be attributed to the fact that this is a historically slow time for Apple and all CE companies, and that both devices are expecting a refresh soon.
The iPhone 5 was unveiled last fall, with the next-generation Apple smartphone expected in the fall alongside iOS 7. In terms of the iPad, the most recent refresh came in November with the availability of the iPad mini.
Of course, that Christmas quarter was Apple’s strongest yet for iPhone and iPad sales, breaking previous records for both products. But things have not-so-surprisingly slowed down since the star products’ unveiling, with many now waiting for the newer models to go on sale.
Meanwhile, Mac and iPod sales remain relatively flat from last quarter. Apple sold 3.75 million Macs in the quarter ending in June, down just barely from 3.9 million last quarter. This represents a 7 percent YOY loss, down 5 percent from the previous quarter.
Obviously, the PC market is dying all around us, so flat yearly and quarterly growth is actually quite impressive.
Mac sales usually do best during the back-to-school season. In Q4 of 2012, which goes from July through September, Mac sales hit 4.9 million, which was actually a 1 percent increase from the year before.
But during Christmas, the first full quarter of the 13-inch Retina MBP’s availability, Mac sales only reached 4.1 million units, representing a 16 percent quarterly decrease. Worse yet, it was a 21 percent fall from the same time last year. Last quarter, Mac sales were essentially flat again with 3.95 million units sold, down just one percent from the quarter before and nearly flat with the 4 million they sold in the previous year during the same period.
iPods continue to lose traction with a group of users who are increasingly interested in the iPhone and iPad, both of which offer similar, yet more robust technology.
Third quarter sales totaled 4.5 million, down from 5.63 million last quarter and a YOY loss of 32 percent.
