1 Thing to Listen For in Apple Inc. (AAPL) Earnings Next Week

The same thing is true for the iPad Mini, which officially launched in Mainland China at the same time as the iPhone 5 in December, with the cellular-equipped models landing just this month. The iPad Mini saw strong demand at its official launch, with one analyst characterizing interest as “insatiable,” since inventories were sold out at all of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s retail stores in China. The smaller tablet was launched in Hong Kong in November as part of the first batch of countries to get the device.

That means some initial demand for both of those devices could have been satisfied before the official launch for customers willing to pay a premium. Other prospective buyers may have had to wait until the New Year, after the fiscal quarter closed, to get their hands on iDevices.

Keep an ear out
Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s geographical reporting standards could be improved for the sake of transparency. The company currently reports direct sales to geographical segments, but also a separate category for its retail operations. Since it operates retail stores in 13 countries, the company’s retail results include numerous geographies and makes it harder for investors to isolate performance in specific countries.

Until then, investors will just have to keep an ear out on the conference call.

The article 1 Thing to Listen For in Apple Earnings Next Week originally appeared on Fool.com.

Fool contributor Evan Niu, CFA, owns shares of Apple. The Motley Fool recommends and owns shares of Apple.

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