Apple reported another quarter of falling iPhone sales Tuesday, underscoring worries that the firm relies too heavily on a flagship product that’s running out of steam.

Apple sold 45.5 million iPhones, compared with 48 million in the same period last year, a drop of 5 percent. Shares fell more than 2 percent in after-hours trading.

Many analysts expected iPhone sales to be soft, even with its chief competitor, Samsung, dealing with headline-grabbing problems with its Galaxy Note 7 smartphones.

But Apple has long-term problems with growth in smartphone sales that can’t be offset by a short-term windfall. For example, revenue in China fell 30 percent from the year-ago quarter.

In a statement, Apple chief executive Tim Cook tried to focus attention on growth in the company’s services sector, which includes iTunes and the App Store.

“We’re thrilled with the customer response to iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus and Apple Watch Series 2, as well as the incredible momentum of our Services business, where revenue grew 24 percent to set another all-time record,” Cook said.

Advertisement

The company reported better-than-expected financial results, with a quarterly income of $9 billion – giving it earnings of $1.67 a share, higher than the $1.65 analysts expected for the company’s fourth quarter. Yet the firm posted $46.90 billion in revenue, vs. projections of $46.94 billion.

On a call with analysts to discuss the earnings, Cook highlighted the interconnectivity of Apple’s systems – which, in turn, encourage customers to buy multiple Apple products – and the company’s ongoing investment in new technologies such as artificial intelligence and voice-activated software.

But the iPhone still makes up 61 percent of the company’s revenue, and no other Apple products saw sales growth from the same time last year. Revenue for the iPad unit was flat, while Mac revenue was down 17 percent.

Apple had a blowout quarter last year with the introduction of the iPhone 6s, which also accounts for the drop-off in sales as compared with last year, said Ben Wood, Chief of Research at analysis firm CCS Insight.


Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.