Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) Q3 2023 Earnings Call Transcript

Luca Maestri: Yes. So all our comments are in reported currency, not in constant currency in relation to the outlook. And we said acceleration sequentially for iPhone and for Services. But we’re also pointing out — and this is where I think, Wamsi, you’re referring to some seasonality issues. We also said that for Mac and iPad, we expect to decline double digits. And the reason for that is that we have a very difficult compare versus last year. You remember that a year ago, in the June quarter, we had factory shutdowns for both Mac and iPad. And so we were able to fill the pent-up demand from those shutdowns during the September quarter. So an unusual level of activity that we had a year ago. And so now, obviously, the compare is difficult. So we expect both iPad and Mac to be down double digits, which offset the acceleration that I mentioned for iPhone and Services.

Wamsi Mohan: Okay. And Tim, I was wondering if you could update us on what percent of iPhones are sold on some type of installment basis now versus full upfront payment on a global basis. And maybe some thoughts on if you expect similar promotional activity from carriers, especially in the U.S., that seem to be grappling with a lot of cash flow issues this particular year.

Luca Maestri: Wamsi, I’ll take it. We’ve done a really good job over the last few years with affordability programs around the world directly in our direct channel and with our partners around the world. The majority of iPhones, at this point, are sold using some kind of a program, trade-ins, installments, some kind of financing. And that percentage, which again, it’s well over 50%, is very similar across developed and emerging markets. We want to do more of that because we think it really helps reduce the affordability threshold for our products. And we think it is also one of the reasons why our product mix has been very strong during the last couple of cycles. So we will continue to push on that front.

Operator: Our next question is from David Vogt with UBS.

David Vogt: I just wanted to follow up on 2 points that both you, Tim, and Luca made about growth and maybe commodities. So just to be clear, I know you’re talking about an acceleration in iPhone, but the comp is about 2 points easier from FX. So I just want to understand, is that on a like-for-like basis, excluding the currency improvement of about 2 points from the June quarter to the September quarter? And from a commodity perspective, I know last quarter, you talked about buying a lot of inventory at favorable prices, which was an incredibly smart strategy. Where do you sit today? And what’s sort of the timing or the duration of that commodity sort of backlog that you have as we think about next quarter and the subsequent quarters? How far does that get you out into the future from this favorable cost dynamic?

Luca Maestri: Let me start again. I just want to be clear about the guidance, the outlook guidance that we provided. We’re referring entirely to reported numbers. So they take into account the fact that we have a slight improvement in foreign exchange. So when I talk about similar performance, I refer to reported performance in the June quarter and then the reported performance in the September quarter. And again, we expect, on a reported basis, our iPhone performance to accelerate, our Services performance to accelerate, and iPad and Mac to decline double digits. On the commodity front, as I mentioned, the environment is favorable. We always make sure that we take advantage of the opportunities that are available in the market, and we will continue to do that going forward.

David Vogt: Luca, any sense of how long that gives you a run rate today based on what you currently have? Can you give us a sense for at least the short-term tailwind?