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Topic: Apple

Apple Q2 2013 hardware sales: By the numbers

Summary: Apple's Q2 2013 financial data is out, telling us, among other things, how much hardware the technology powerhouse sold over the past quarter. How does this three month period compare to previous quarters?

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

By for Hardware 2.0 |

Apple's Q1 2013 earnings are out, and the data provided gives us an insight into how well the company performed over the last quarter relative to historical data.

Let's begin with Apple's flagship product, the iPhone.

The iPhone did remarkably well, selling 37.4 million over the quarter, compared to 35.1 million in the year-ago quarter. Compared to the year-ago quarter, this represents a 7 percent unit increase, and a 3 percent revenue increase. However, compared to the previous quarter, unit sales are down by 22 percent, and revenues down by an eye-watering 25 percent. This was to be expected, given that the previous quarter was a holiday quarter and the first full quarter following the release of the iPhone 5.

Moving on to the iPad, Apple sold 19.5 million tablets (iPads and iPad Minis combined), up from 11.8 million from the same period a year ago. 

Last quarter was the second best quarter for the iPad, only trumped by the strong sales over the previous quarter. Year-on-year it represented a 65 percent unit sales increase, and a 40 percent increase in revenue. Compared to the previous quarter, it represents a 15 percent decline in unit sales, and an 18 percent decrease in revenue, but again, that was a holiday quarter, and sales were buoyed by the iPad 4 and iPad mini.

However, since Apple doesn't break down sales by model, we can't tell if the iPad Mini is cannibalizing sales of the full-sized model. It seems, though, that the increase in unit sales is keeping revenues buoyed.

So far, so good. But that's set to change from now on. 

During the last quarter Apple only managed to shift 3.95 million Macs, down a fraction both on the year-ago quarter and the previous quarter. The Q2 quarter Mac sales represents a 2 percent unit decline but a 7 percent revenue increase compared to a year-ago quarter, and a 3 percent unit decline and 1 percent revenue decline compared to the previous quarter.

The refreshed Mac lineup that we saw just before the holiday period failed to translate into strong sales over the quarter. However, Mac sales are remaining stable, while PC sales are falling through the floor.

iPod sales have also stalled. Whereas once Apple could have relied on non-holiday quarter sales in the region of 10 million (increasing to over 20 million during a holiday quarter), this quarter's sales of 5.6 million are down 27 percent compared to the year-ago quarter and 56 percent compared to the previous quarter. iPod revenues are also down, 20 percent and 55 percent respectively.

The era of the iPod is drawing to a close.

Overall, quarterly sales for the iPhone and iPad were good, showing very strong upward trajectories.

Cumulatively, Apple has sold almost 375 million iPods, over 356 million iPhones, and nearly 140.5 million iPads since the respective products were first released. In 23 quarters, Apple has sold almost as many iPhones as it has sold iPods over 46 quarters, and sales of the smartphone are likely to overtake the aging media player during this quarter if the respective sales trajectories hold true.

Put that another way: the iPhone has sold twice as fast as the iPod did.

Topics: Apple, iOS, iPhone, iPad, PCs

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31 comments
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  • But isn't the sky falling?

    With all the negative press we're seeing lately and the stock fluctuation, you'd think Apple's products were falling out of favor with consumers. What about all this diminishing iPhone and iPad demand? It looks like those predicting Apple's demise were woefully wrong again. What a surprise! :-)
    Tiggster79
    Reply 1 Vote

    • Who has been pointing to Apple's demise?

      I haven't seen anyone state that Apple will be out of business. I have seen people state Apple isn't going to to as well as it has done. And there is evidence they may be right.
      ye
      Reply Vote

      • Apple is still on top

        Apple is still on top by any reasonable measure. They make by far the most profit, generate the most revenue for their developer community, and provide the highest quality and most sought after products. There are also no signs of this changing anytime soon, so where's the slowdown again?
        Tiggster79
        Reply 2 Votes

        • The slow down is found...

          ...in the reduce rates of growth. If a company is growing at 25% Y-o-Y for years and then grows at 5% Y-o-Y that's still growth but it's a slow down in the growth. So it's possible to have growth and a slow down at one time. It's the slow down in growth that is the concern.
          ye
          Reply Vote

    • Same goes for others making billions in profits?

      "It looks like those predicting Apple's demise were woefully wrong again. What a surprise! :-)"

      One could say the exact same thing of Microsoft.
      toddbottom3
      Reply 1 Vote

  • How many Surface ReTards and Surface Pros have sold?

    Oh wait they are too busy dancing around the board room to tell you.
    toddbottom7
    Reply 1 Vote

    • Troll

      Lame one at that.
      ye
      Reply 1 Vote

    • Enough to impact Apple's sales figures, apparently

      Was that what you were curious about?
      William Farrel
      Reply 4 Votes

      • iPad vs Surface

        The iPad's sales this quarter alone has likely far exceeded sales of all Surface RT tablets that will be accumulated throughout the lifetime of the product line. Some impact, eh?
        Tiggster79
        Reply 1 Vote

        • And all Android tablet sales this quarter alone has likely far

          exceeded sales of the iPad mini, so what's your point?
          William Farrel
          Reply 1 Vote

  • Sigh

    Performance is measured year over year, not against previous quarters.
    baggins_z
    Reply 1 Vote

    • Exactly

      Income down 20% YoY.
      toddbottom3
      Reply Vote

  • One of the things that annoys

    Me about modern "journalism" is this need to always have some criticism to show "balance" even if you have to make crap up to get it.

    The reality in these numbers is that they are ALL good news. Even Mac sales, which are taking MUCH less of a hit than PC sales.
    baggins_z
    Reply 1 Vote

    • That depends on how you define good news.

      When you've been growing at a 25% clip (illustrative purposes) for years and growth is now 5% is that good news? It's good news in there was still growth. However it's bad news in growth has slowed.
      ye
      Reply Vote

    • Rare time I agree with you.

      This applies to Microsoft reporting even more than the love affair the media has with apple. When revenues up overall but Windows flat even with falling mac and PC sales, the media tried to make it sound like Microsoft was DOOMED.

      I think Microsoft would kill to see the blatant media bias that apple gets. Apple can do no wrong according to the media. This despite the fact that aapl has tanked (MSFT a much wiser investment) and mac sales falling and ipod sales dying and profits disappearing.
      toddbottom3
      Reply Vote

      • Then how do you explain?

        Then how do you explain Apple getting utterly slammed with unwarranted negative coverage over the past several months? I fail to see the bias here against Microsoft. Apple's stock has fallen largely due to media scaremongering, not on actual facts, as this earnings report illustrates.
        Tiggster79
        Reply 2 Votes

        • Fact for you

          "not on actual facts, as this earnings report illustrates"

          Yeah, because a 20% YoY drop in profits is a good thing.

          Are profits still the only thing that counts or now that apple profits are plummeting, profits don't count?
          toddbottom3
          Reply 1 Vote

          • Apple vs Microsoft

            Didn't Apple still report almost twice the profits that Microsoft reported a few days ago? Profits are still king and Apple's competitors aren't even coming close. Lets keep things in perspective here.
            Tiggster79
            Reply 1 Vote

          • You seem to be missing the point.

            It's not about Apple being profitable. It's the level of profitability, relative to THEIR past, that's at issue.
            ye
            Reply Vote

          • True, for now.

            "Profits are still king and Apple's competitors aren't even coming close"
            ​
            True, although at this rate, apples competitors can just stay the course and apple will see them on the way down.
            ​
            ​Good times (except for those foolish enough to still be holding on to aapl).
            toddbottom3
            Reply Vote
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